Rise of Phoenix
by Furny
Summary: Rising from the tragic ashes of his childhood, Phoenix Ketchum sets out on a journey to rebuild his life and reclaim his broken destiny. With amazing friends and his Pokemon by his side anything is possible! Prophecies come to fruition. Mysteries unravel. Nothing is as it seems. Slow build, epic outcome. OCXOC, Pokeshipping. Sequel to Heading Home.
1. Rise

Welcome to **Rise of Phoenix**

This will be a novel length sequel to my story, **Heading Home**. Approximately 15-18 chapters when complete.

* * *

**Part 1**

A boy, no older than sixteen, sits slouched in a metal folding chair with his arms crossed over his body. The room is brightly lit by LED tube lighting that spans the expanse of the ceiling. There are more metal folding chairs set up in a circle. The boy's demeanor screams apathetic as his eyes wander across the room to peer at all of the other people seated in them; all of whom are much older than himself. The hood of his blue jacket is pulled up around his head in an attempt to hide himself from the world. He lets his head fall back against the rim of the metal chair, and he sighs in frustration.

"My name is Phoenix," says the teen begrudgingly to the ceiling tiles.

"Phoenix, you seem uncomfortable." An older woman, in her fifties, observes aloud. "I know that you haven't been to a meeting like this before, but your gran really thinks it could help you."

The boy slowly pulls his head up and stares at the woman; a scowl taints his face. The little zig zags across his cheeks remind the group who the young man really is.

"What would really help me is if everyone would just leave me alone." Phoenix mumbles as his gaze drops to his fingers that pick at the long sleeve of his jacket. "But since you are so observant. I'm not uncomfortable. I just don't see the point of these meetings."

The woman, who happened to gather and lead the group in their meeting, watches him with a small smile. It isn't the first young man she has met with a fiery rage in his heart.

"It's hard to see what we need until we step outside of ourselves. Until we step outside of our grief." She continues to encourage him with a soft, knowing expression gracing her face.

"Alright then, _Harriet_." Phoenix shrugs his shoulders, slicking back his hood and his wild auburn hair. His cerulean eyes shoot daggers across the circle at her. "What is it that you think I should do?"

Harriet, who maintains a graceful smile, just watches him writhe under her gaze. He is obviously uncomfortable and fighting to be in control of his own emotions.

"Phoenix," She fearlessly looks straight into his eyes, "you need to share your story."

"Why?" He spits, "everyone knows my story."

"Phoenix, nobody knows _your_ story. Even if everyone knows what happened, it doesn't mean that anyone really knows you or knows how you feel. Allowing yourself to talk about it will help you process what happened." Harriet tells him.

Phoenix stares out towards the group, a glossy film forming over his eyes as memories flood his mind. No words form across his palette.

"Now," Harriet pauses while observing him, "you may choose to share today or simply listen. However, I would encourage you to share even just a little."

The silence among the rest of the group becomes deafening as Phoenix is caught in indecision. To be vulnerable with a group of strangers or to be brave. Bravery runs through his blood.

Phoenix coughs and sits up straighter in his chair. The group members watch with curiosity etched across their faces.

"There was this one time," Phoenix starts to whisper as a memory forms, "my dad woke me up before dawn. It was my ninth birthday."

His eyes flitter from person to person searching for judgement, but he finds only encouragement.

"He held my hand as we walked across the paths of our backyard into the lab reserve. We walked up to the highest hill on the property and sat together as the sun rose. I watched as the Pokemon on the reserve began to wake up and move about their days. Then he told me that one day I would be just like him and have enough Pokemon to fill the reserve." He sighs as the memory fades away, "I wanted to be a Pokemon trainer so badly. I watched my parents train all the time. They trained me to be the very best just like dad. I wasn't even a license age when…"

Phoenix trails off, and a fire ignites behind his irises. He ducks his head to hide his face under his auburn locks. Harriet's stomach churns at the sight of the grief-stricken young man. His pale skin whitens to a ghostly shade. The group members share sympathetic looks with one another as Phoenix's hands clench into fists, and he struggles to control his breathing.

"I wasn't even license age when they all died." Phoenix pulls a fist across his face as he wipes the forming evidence of grief from it.

Then he pulls himself together eerily well.

"When I was nine I was the only human survivor when my family's home caught fire." Phoenix states with no hint of emotion. "They found me in the ashes with my father's Raichu and my newly hatched Charmander. My parents were just in their thirties. My little sister, River, was five."

He stares blankly out across the circle. His deepest truths coming to light.

"And I wonder why I couldn't have just died with them." He states, moving his sight towards the ground in an attempt to hide the torment tearing across his face.

There is a deafening silence that creeps across the still room. There is no truly good response to his words. After a few moments of awkward shifting and sniffling, Harriet moves to speak again.

"What would your gran have if you weren't here still?" Harriet presses gently.

"Less to worry about." Phoenix sneers, but regrets it immediately when he thinks of his grandmother left all alone.

"So why are you here, if you don't want to be here, Phoenix?" Harriet asks, interest pouring from her lips.

Phoenix pauses momentarily and breathes heavily, "my gran told me that I either need to join a grief support group or head out on a Pokemon journey like my parents did."

"And you chose the grief support group, I see?" Harriet assumes.

"I don't know yet." He confesses, looking down at his hands. "I grew up believing I could be a Pokemon Master just like my dad, but every time I think about hitting the open road with my Charmander, I become afraid."

"Afraid of failure?" Harriet questions, "Or afraid you will succeed just like your parents?"

Phoenix's eyes snap up to meet her warm, brown irises. The question rings in his mind and he wonders if that is truly what he is afraid of. He falls into a thoughtful silence. Harriet decides that she has pushed him enough for the night and moves on to the next member sitting to his left.

Throughout the rest of the meeting and afterwards, Phoenix's thoughts mull over his own reasoning behind his decisions. He walks outside the Viridian City Recreation Center, where the meeting was held, in the brisk evening air. His grandmother offered to pick him up, but it is only a short walk back to Pallet so he refused.

Why had he decided to come to the support group? What is it that is holding him back from being a trainer? His parents were once elite trainers known around the world. Wasn't it supposed to be his destiny to be one of the best?

"Stop right there, small fry." A young adult man dressed in black appears in front of him. A red 'R' is plastered across his black hat.

Phoenix's eyes blare at the sight of the Team Rocket member. He is aware of their reputation as well as the fact that his father had considered them enemies. Nearly two decades ago, the gang had nearly been eradicated. Phoenix knows only that his father had been involved in their downfall. However, the criminal organization had regrown under new leadership over the last decade and had become a real problem once again. It is not uncommon to find gang members running rampant in the streets. The local police struggle to keep crime rates down as more trainers choose the darker path.

"I said stop, punk." The rocket member roars at Phoenix.

"Move out of my way." Phoenix growls at the man and grits his teeth.

"Not until you hand over your wimpy Pokemon." The grunt laughs evilly.

Phoenix's hands curl into tight fists as he contemplates his options; run or fight.

"I'll show you how wimpy my Pokemon is!" Phoenix snaps at the grunt. He pulls a ball out of his pocket and enlarges it. "Go, Charvo!"

A small, yellow lizard with a fiery tail emerges from the ball. Its leathery skin glitters, reflecting the light of the streetlamps. It screams its name at the larger man in front of it.

"Alright, kid! A shiny Charmander could get me a promotion." He smirks as he steps closer. "You might as well hand it over now."

"Never." Phoenix spits, his eyes narrowing.

"Suit yourself!" The grunt throws forward two Pokeballs.

A black furred dog with a bony exterior emerges and howls. Next to it, a large blue bat with an incredibly large jaw flaps its wings.

"Flamethrower!" Phoenix orders Charvo and he immediately complies.

"Dodge it!" The grunt screams at his Pokemon. The Houndour is able to jump away, but Charvo's flame follows the Golbat as it tries to dodge.

"Get in close!" Phoenix says.

"Air cutter! Bite!" The grunt orders.

Phoenix watches as Charvo runs head first into the battle, impressed by his natural talent. While Phoenix very rarely battled with Charvo, he has raised it well over the last seven years. He knew exercise and training routines that he often observed his father doing when he was a child. Training was an important part of Phoenix and Charvo's everyday routine and it was how the two came to share such a tight bond.

"Charvo, dragon rush!" Phoenix smirks as the grunt's mouth hangs open at his commands.

As Golbat sends an air cutter towards Charvo, Charvo dodges it, jumping high into the sky, and uses the Golbat as a diving board. The downward momentum positions him perfectly to use dragon rush on the unsuspecting Houndour.

"Metal claw!" Phoenix commands.

Charvo jumps back up at Golbat and slashes the bat to the ground.

The grunt stands in awe over his defeated Pokemon. He grits his teeth together as he returns them.

"Haven't you ever heard of egg moves before?" Phoenix grins at his victory.

"You better watch out, kid. That Charmander is a valuable creature." The grunt spits at Phoenix. "There are stronger Team Rocket members who won't be caught off guard next time."

Phoenix watches as the grunt takes off in a sprint and doesn't look back.

"Char! Char! Char!" The little lizard screeches and swings his claws around. The fire on his tail grows exponentially.

"What's going on, Charvo? Are you hurt?" Phoenix runs to him and kneels in front of him.

Suddenly, Charvo glows a brilliant white and his form expands. Phoenix falls backwards away from the blinding light.

"Char! Charmeleon!" Charvo roars when his evolution is complete.

"Charvo, you? You evolved?" Phoenix watches, baffled, as the pastel orange Pokemon shoots an intense red flame into the air.

"Char, Char, Charmeleon!" Charvo grins and steps toward Phoenix. He wraps his arms around his trainer and nuzzles his face.

"Oh stop it, Charvo!" Phoenix laughs as Charvo's sandpaper-like skin scratches at his face.

"Char, Char, Char!" Charvo laughs with shining glee in his eyes.

As Phoenix sits with Charvo on the sidewalk in Viridian City, the Team Rocket member's words haunt him. _If word gets around that there is such a rare shiny Pokemon living in the area, they might come after Charvo. How do I keep him safe?_

Phoenix watches as Charvo flexes his strong arms and shows off his new athletic body.

_I need to make him as strong as possible, so that no one can ever steal him from me. _

"Hey Charvo," Phoenix watches his best pal turn to face him with curiosity, "I think it's time we take to the open road. We can be champions just like our parents."

Charvo's eyes gleam at the idea of going on a journey. Ever since he hatched, Phoenix has been his whole world. Now, together, they would conquer the world.

* * *

_In the new light of the day, nine-year-old Phoenix walks across the dewy grass after his father. Before them lies the Pokemon Reserve where most of his father's Pokemon are kept. The property backs up to their own, so it is a quick trek to the main area of the reserve._

"_Phoenix," he smiles down at the boy, "hurry up, we don't want to keep him waiting."_

"_Keep who waiting?" Phoenix growls, irritated from being awoken so early in the morning. "You wouldn't tell me anything about why we're up before dawn."_

"_Oh, really no reason." The man ruffles his son's hair and continues chuckling. "It's really only because Charizard likes to wake up early."_

"_We're up at dawn to see Charizard?" Phoenix asks, annoyance evidence in his voice._

"_Yes," His father just smiles trying to keep his true intentions a secret until the right time._

_Phoenix just groans and follows his father while shaking his head. _

_Ahead of them, they spot a cave in the rocky hillside where Charizard often prefers to roost. _

"_What if he's not here?" Phoenix asks, ready to give his father hell for waking him up for nothing._

"_Phoenix," his father snaps firmly, "you'll see why we're here soon."_

_Phoenix doesn't dare to respond. When his father drops his goofy act and becomes firm, he knows it is time to straighten up. _

_Together, they approach the cave slowly. _

"_Charizard?" his father questions softly while peering around the dark cave._

_Phoenix's spine shivers when he hears a low rumble. The huge, dark orange dragon steps forth from the cave causing small rocks to tremble near his feet. It huffs smoke from its nostril and looks down at his master and his master's son._

_Between his sharp claws and his scaly stomach rests a small orange egg with reddish tints flaring across the sides. _

"_Phoenix," his father rests a hand on his shoulder while looking up at Charizard, "Charizard and I have been talking about this for a long time."_

_His father reaches forward and gently takes the egg from the giant reptile. Charizard hands the egg to him without hesitation. In his father's arms the egg looks much larger. _

"_Charizard is one of my most trusted allies. I want my son to have a reliable Pokemon he can always trust. My friend, Charizard, has worked hard in his life to be a champion, but he knows that if he had stayed with his first smuck of a trainer he never would have become a champion. He wants his offspring to have a great, caring trainer. So, together we decided that a champion trainer's child should train the offspring of a champion Pokemon."_

_Phoenix looks between Charizard and his father, trying to piece together their intentions_

"_This Charmander will be your starter Pokemon." his father reiterates clearly. Charizard grunts and smiles in agreement. "It should hatch in a month or so. Long before your birthday. You'll be all set for your Pokemon Journey."_

_Phoenix's confusion slowly turns to joy as he realizes what is happening._

"_Really?" Phoenix's wide eyes stare at the egg._

"_Yes, but it is your responsibility to take care of it." His father peers down at him expectantly._

"_Of course!" Phoenix exclaims as his father hands him the egg, "THANK YOU!"_

"_I knew you were planning to choose a Charmander anyway, so I am happy that this worked out. Now Charizard and I are in this together." His father laughs at his own joke. Charizard rolls his eyes in a joking manner._

"_Charizard, don't you worry," Phoenix assures him, "this Charmander is going to be my best friend! I already love him! With him by my side, we will be unstoppable!" _

_Charizard chirps happily at the idea of his offspring being raised by his master's son whom he has known since his birth. _

"_Thank you, Charizard," Phoenix hugs the egg firmly, "and you too, dad." _

_His father pats Charizard on the back and grins at the dad-to-be. _

"_Come by anytime, buddy," He laughs heartily, "we've fireproofed the deck for you!"_

_After a few more minutes of chit chat, Phoenix and his father turn back towards their home. _

_The walk through the early morning is no longer tiring for Phoenix who holds his new Pokemon egg tightly making sure not to drop it. The dew is clearing up as the sun shines slightly higher in the sky. Their home comes into view and soon they approach the door and enter through._

"_Ash? Phoenix?" Phoenix's mother asks as she comes around the corner. "Where did you two go off to?"_

"_Mom!" Phoenix squeals, "I got my first Pokemon!"_

_She looks at the orange and red egg and then up to Ash with a disapproving look._

"_What did you do?" She glares at him._

"_Misty," he raises his hands in defense with a grin, "I simply took advantage of a situation. Charizard's mate had and egg and he brought us it for Phoenix."_

"_Phoenix should have been allowed the chance pick Bulbasaur or Squirtle." Misty argues with a shake of her head._

"_Hey!" Ash pokes at her, tickling her side, "you just wanted him to choose Squirtle!" _

_Misty gasps at the accusation, a small smile forming on her face, "I just want our son to make his own decisions!"_

"_I was going to pick Charmander anyway." Phoenix states in an attempt to stop his parents' quarrelling. "Dad has so many awesome stories about his Charizard. But the fact that Charizards can fly and carry people takes the cake!"_

"_Definitely your son." Misty rolls her eyes playfully and smacks Ash against the chest with the back of her hand._

"_Damn right, he is." Ash boasts while sticking his tongue out at her._

* * *

I know what you're thinking. How can I read a story where Ash and Misty are DEAD? Just do it. You won't be disappointed!

If you read **Heading Home**, you know that I am wicked twisty. I LOVE Ash and Misty. Don't let your guard down ;)

Love, Alert, Review!

Furny


	2. Wake Up

Welcome back!

Here's an early Christmas present just for you! I spent my Thanksgiving Break writing!

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**Part 2**

In the dark of the early morning, Phoenix stares absentmindedly out his bedroom window. He watches as a sliver of orange slices the horizon. As a boy, he had slept peacefully night after night. His mother had told him every morning that he was just like his father; so difficult to wake. However, after tragedy struck, Phoenix could only manage to sleep five or six hours per night on average. His dreams were filled with beauty and horror rotating between treasured memories and the scalding hot fire that melted that world away.

At the sight of the rising sun, Phoenix sits up slowly and pulls his legs over the side of the bed. His eyes wander around the room. It is a plain room with light blue walls and a dark blue bed. There is a small desk and a dresser to keep his things. After losing all of his worldly possessions at the ripe age of nine, he had decided that material things were unimportant and would slow him down. His only valued items are the laptop on his desk he has used for schoolwork and miscellaneous browsing and his cell phone charging on his night stand.

The room is void of anything personable other than a bulletin board nailed to the wall above his bed. The pictures tacked to the board provide the only vibrant color in the room. While the board was once orderly and neat, every inch had since been covered in more photographs than it was meant to hold.

Phoenix turns to peer at the bulletin board, trying to commit every picture to his memory.

"Screw it." Phoenix shakes his head and reaches out to the board.

His fingers trace the memories as he searches for a specific picture. He gazes over pictures of his parents and their friends when they were young. There are pictures of himself and River when they were babies. There are wedding photos of his parents. It really is a smorgasbord of memories.

He pauses when his thumb graces the last photo taken of his family altogether. It was on Christmas day when Mr. Mime offered to capture the photo of him with his parents, sister, grandmother and Raichu sitting on the couch after opening all of their presents. His nine-year-old self sits between his parents holding a stuffed Pikachu toy that he had recently unwrapped. Ash and Misty lean close to each other behind Phoenix. River sits in Misty's lap. Delia sits next to Misty, while Raichu sits next to Ash. The Ketchum family photo looks like a perfect family off of some sitcom that only has to worry about small problems like missing hair brushes and burning the Thanksgiving meal.

Phoenix's lips twitch upwards to form a sincere, yet sad, smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. The sparkle of happiness that shines in his cerulean eyes in the picture is a distant memory. He stands up from the bed and walks over to his backpack. He stuffs the photo into the side pocket and then flings it onto the bed so he can dress himself. On his chair rests a new outfit that his gran had gone out to buy him when he told her his plans two days ago.

He picks up a black shirt and pulls it over his bare body. Then he slips on the brand new jeans and buttons them. He uses a Pokeball belt to tighten the clothing to his body. He reaches to pick up the next article and holds it out in front of himself to look at it closely. It is a red lined blue jacket hoodie with his surname embroidered to the left side of the chest. It looks warm yet light. His eyebrow turns up at the sight of his name there so easily noticeable.

Phoenix sighs and slips the jacket on over his arms. He knows that it is a special gift from his gran and he doesn't want to upset her.

After tying up his new tennis shoes, he grabs his backpack again and flings it over his shoulder. Next, he picks up the Pokeball that sits on his nightstand at night and releases Charvo.

"Char!" the orange lizard grunts and stretches.

"Are you ready for our journey?" Phoenix asks hesitantly.

Charvo looks up at Phoenix with a reassuring smile and raises a thumb. "Char char!"

"You're right, buddy. We got this." Phoenix fist bumps Charvo and chuckles lightly. "Besides, my dad was ten when he started his journey and it turned out alright for him."

Phoenix and Charvo take a last look at the room and head downstairs. In the kitchen, they find his gran, Delia Ketchum, drinking her early morning tea with her friend Mr. Mime.

"Oh Phoenix," she smiles as he strides through the kitchen to find a breakfast bar in the pantry, "I know you're an early riser, but I didn't expect you to be ready to go quite this early."

"Gran, you know that I don't sleep well." Phoenix states with a shrug. He pulls out a chair and sits next to Delia.

"I know, Phoen." She smiles warmly at him. "It's just that sometimes you remind me so much of your father, and sometimes… you really don't. On the first day of his Pokemon journey, he slept so late that he didn't even have the choice between Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur."

"I know that story, gran. Mom told it every year on my birthday." Phoenix tries to shrug off the topic. Today is about moving forward.

"Well, then you know that because of that your father was given a Pikachu." Delia continues while Phoenix sighs inwardly.

However, Delia's next words ring through Phoenix's ears as would a beautiful poem.

"You may not have slept in this morning like your father did on his first day, but you've been sleeping for the last seven years. It's time to wake up, Phoenix. There is a whole wide world waiting for you."

Phoenix does not respond. He simply takes the words to heart. What has he been missing by staying home and not going out on a quest to achieve the dream of every ten-year-old trainer?

"I'm ready, gran." Phoenix tells her simply.

"Charmeleon!" Charvo chirps in agreement.

"I was hoping you would say that." Delia smiles at her grandson and then hugs him tightly. Then she pats Charvo on the head and thanks him for helping Phoenix.

"I am going to go stop at the lab and then head out towards Viridian." Phoenix says as he stands up from the table.

"Now, hold on." Delia stands up and motions him to stay where he is. "I have something for you."

Phoenix pauses as he was told. He looks down at Charvo who tries to wait patiently with him. The lizard has groan more restless since his evolution.

Delia returns moments later carrying a shoebox.

"When your parents were first married, they lived here while they had their house built. There are a few boxes of their stuff left up in the attic. I thought maybe you would like to have that." Delia hands it to Phoenix and motions for him to open it up. She watches as Phoenix pulls out a worn red and white cap.

"This looks just like the hat dad always wore," Phoenix says in awe while observing the cap.

"It is," Delia tells him while grinning, "well, it isn't the one that he wore when you were a kid because he had a replica then, but this is his original league hat. He wore it on his first journeys across Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto. He wore it when he won the Master Championship League. He even wore it on his first day when he met your mother, and she wore it for a while when your father was fighting Team Rocket."

"Wow," Phoenix feels the weight of the importance of this item to his family, "thanks gran."

"Of course," she places a hand on his cheek and smiles bittersweetly, "it isn't meant to sit in storage. This hat needs a new adventure."

Phoenix hugs his grandmother tightly and promises to call often. With the advancement of technology it would be easy to call his gran on his cell phone.

With a tearful goodbye, Phoenix Ketchum and his trusty Charmeleon exit the Ketchum household. Phoenix pauses on the doormat outside. The first steps have already been taken. Every step forward will become easier as he goes.

He looks down at Charvo and flashes a reassuring smile. Charvo runs ahead, challenging Phoenix to a race. Phoenix looks on in confusion, but catches on quickly. He darts forward after his friend up the hill towards the Oak Pokemon Research lab.

When they arrive at the automatic doors, the two need to stop and rest before they can speak. Phoenix hunches over and holds onto his knees to catch his breath.

"Well if it isn't Mr. Ketchum," a man's voice sounds from inside the lab, "I was wondering when you would come around."

"Professor Oak!" Phoenix finally exclaims, running into the lab with Charvo on his heel.

Inside stands a middle aged man around forty. He wears a lab coat over a black collared shirt and dark gray khaki pants. His brown hair is spiked in different directions.

"Hey champ," the man grins at the teen, "I told you that you can still call me Uncle Gary."

"Yeah, well, being a professor is cooler than being an uncle." Phoenix argues jokingly.

"Alright, alright, just don't confuse gramps," Gary laughs, but regains a professional look, "anyway, Phoenix, what do you need?"

"I've decided to finally start my Pokemon journey." Phoenix shares with a determined expression.

Gary looks at him with surprise, "hey, that's great, Phoenix!"

"So, I need a Pokedex function installed on my phone," Phoenix states, handing his phone to Gary.

"No problem," Gary brings it over to a machine and inserts a cord into the port.

"Thanks, Professor!" Phoenix follows Gary as he prepares the phone.

Gary chuckles to himself and turns to Phoenix, "you know, Quinny has been on the road battling and participating in contests for four years now. If you run into her tell her to call her dad more often, alright?"

Phoenix laughs at Gary's joke knowing his younger friend, Quinn Oak, has been a rebel since birth. He hasn't seen the girl since she had saluted him jokingly on the day she started her Pokemon journey and then she left and hasn't contacted him since. He didn't take it personally, though. He knew that his father and Gary had been friends as children and then rivals when it came to Pokemon. However, they eventually rekindled their strong friendship when Gary decided to become a researcher rather than a master trainer.

"I doubt she would listen to me, anyway," Phoenix shrugs and laughs.

"Good point," Gary agrees good naturedly, and then hands Phoenix his phone back, "here you go, all set up. It will now function as a Pokedex as well using the Dexter App."

"Thanks, Uncle Gary," Phoenix chuckles and elbows Gary in the ribs lightly.

"There's my godson," Gary laughs and ruffles Phoenix's auburn hair, "man, you look like your parents."

Phoenix smiles sadly at the comment, not really wanting to talk about it.

"I'm sorry, but with that hat on, you are the perfect blend of Ash and Misty Ketchum. You have your mother's eyes and complexion. But you have Ash's cheeks and his nose. That swirly red mess you call hair is just as wild as your father's was."

Phoenix is surprised to find himself smiling by the end of Gary's rant. Usually, talk about his parents made him sad and frustrated. However, hearing about how similar he is to them makes him feel slightly closer to them.

"Thanks, Uncle Gary," Phoenix tells him sincerely.

"You should feel very close to them today," Gary points out while raising a hand to shake Phoenix's, "your parents would be so proud of you for starting your journey."

"I hope so," Phoenix half smiles and grips Gary's hand back.

"Call me anytime," Gary insists with a chuckle, "I'm only an Aerodactyl ride away!"

"Thanks again, Phoenix smiles, "I think I'm going to head out back to say goodbye to some of my dad's Pokemon."

After a brief goodbye, Phoenix and Charvo head out the back doors and into the lab reserve. Phoenix stretches and breathes in the fresh air of the countryside.

"Phoenix, my boy," a shaky voice calls from the side of the lab, "come over here for a moment."

Phoenix and Charvo turn to look at the elderly man sitting on a bench, drinking his morning tea.

"Professor Oak Sr.," Phoenix approaches and shakes the Professor's hand gently.

"Now," Professor Samuel Oak begins, "I have seen many young boys and girls come and go through this lab. I have given thousands of trainers their first Pokemon. But, your father was different. I didn't expect him to make it very far with a disobedient Pikachu and no know how. He was the underdog and he proved me wrong. And he continued to prove me wrong over and over. Now I know not to underestimate a Ketchum, so I know with all of my heart that you are going to prove me right."

Phoenix looks down at the kooky old man and grins. The man is a walking legend and the fact that he believes in Phoenix is enough to make his confidence soar.

"I won't let you down, Professor," Phoenix assures him.

"I know, Phoenix," Professor Oak Sr. grins cheekily at the boy and then points out over the fields where hundreds of Pokemon wave and cheer, "I called them all here when your mother told me you would be coming by."

Phoenix shakes his head at the old man and grins at the crowd of Pokemon that all belonged to his father.

"When you get your eighth badge, you can inherit them as long as they accept you as their new trainer." Professor Oak reveals.

"Are you serious?" Phoenix's mouth drops agape. He had grown up with these Pokemon and knew them all personally.

"These loyal Pokemon would follow Ash to the ends of the earth. I believe they would stand by his son's side in his absence," Professor Oak states simply, "go on to see them now."

Phoenix grins at Professor Oak Sr. And gives a quick goodbye. Then he turns back toward the field.

"Hey guys!" Phoenix shouts and begins to run to the crowd of Pokemon.

Among the hundreds present, he finds some of his father's most devout Pokemon: Ivysaur, Wartortle, Meganium, Typhlosion, Sceptile, Incineroar, Feraligatr, Staraptor, Unfezent, and many more who had been apart of Ash's journeys.

"HYYYYY!" a massive black and blue, winged dragon crashes to the ground on the outskirts of the crowd.

"FLYYYY!" a second dragon that is green and red circles around it in a fighting stance.

"Guys!" Phoenix shouts at Hydreigon and Flygon who are caught in an intense fight, "stop it!"

However, neither seem to notice the teen shouting at them.

"Charvo use a flamethrower to get their attention!" Phoenix orders and Charvo obliges.

The two fighting dragons are stunned at the outside source of attack and pause to look their way.

"I'm leaving on a quest and I wanted to say goodbye!" Phoenix shouts at them.

They two dragons look sheepishly at Phoenix and the rest of the Pokemon just watching in amusement.

"Hydreigon…" Hydreigon floats over to Phoenix with Flygon on his heel.

"Now, you two," Phoenix reprimands them, "you need to calm down. If you are going to play fight then you need to go somewhere where no one else will get hurt. Your attacks are intense."

The two dragons nod sheepishly and then grin at each other. They often find themselves in small spats that erupt into a huge fight. It is usually in good humor, but it can get rough sometimes.

"I will come back home to see you all soon!" Phoenix assures them.

The Pokemon before him cheer him on and encourage him. Phoenix closes his eyes for a moment and can almost feel his father cheering with his loyal Pokemon. Together, Phoenix and Ash's Pokemon are the remnants of the once great Pokemon Master.

When Phoenix opens his eyes again, he and Charvo wave goodbye and begin walking on a new path.

After thirty minutes of walking at a fair pace, Phoenix turns around and looks back to the lab which has become a mere speck in the distance.

"I suppose we are off the reserve at this point," Phoenix reasons as he looks around at the unfamiliar forest, "I don't think I've gone this far on this path before."

"Char Char," Charvo sniffs around trying to smell the new surroundings.

"I guess this is our life now," Phoenix shrugs as he and Charvo continue to walk along the path, "just us two walking on a path."

"Charmeleon, Char," Charvo gestures like he is fighting something.

"You want to battle already?" Phoenix asks, uncertain of his intentions.

Charvo punches the air again and then points at the Pokeballs on Phoenix's belt.

"Oh, you mean, I should capture more Pokemon of my own?" Phoenix asks after deciphering his friends message.

"Charmeleon!" Charvo chirps in approval.

"I suppose you're right. It can't be too hard. I just have to find some," Phoenix looks around the woods, but it seems pretty quiet.

"Mom always made fun of dad because he didn't catch any Pokemon until after he left Viridian City." Phoenix laughs at the memory of his mother poking fun at his dad. It already feels easier to think about them while out on the road. There is nothing to remind him of the pain that he's been in for seven years.

"Char Charmeleon?" Charvo asks nervously.

Phoenix looks down at his scaly orange friend and tries to figure out what he is asking.

"We're talking about my parents," Phoenix deducts, "and you're wondering about yours?"

Charvo nods, curiosity peaking.

"I don't really know much about your mother. I just know she lives in the Charicific Valley in the Johto Region. But your dad, he was a _champion_!" Phoenix emphasized dramatically, "He was HUGE. Like almost as tall as the trees when he stood up straight! He had scarring on his left side from some mission he and dad went on. I knew he would never hurt me, but I always felt so intimidated in his presence. He was one of my dad's most trustworthy friends. Probably his second in command after Raichu."

"Charmeleon, Char?" Charvo inquired.

Phoenix hesitates, not really knowing how to answer Charvo's question.

"No one knows what happened to him," Phoenix frowns in confusion as he thinks about the circumstances surrounding the fire that killed his family, "he was in my dad's party when the house caught fire, but no one has seen him since that day. Same story with mom and dad's other Pokemon that were in their parties. I'm afraid that they either suffered the same fate or ran away. It's something that I haven't really figured out myself."

The conversation dies as the two sons of champions continue mulling over the possibilities as they walk.

"Char," Charvo chirps quietly and points up into a nearby tree.

Phoenix's eyes follow where Charvo is pointing and he spots a little red and gray bird roosting on a tree branch. Its eyes lock onto Charvo and it soars down to the ground. It puffs its feathers up and flares its wings out trying to look bigger than it is.

"I've never seen this Pokemon around here before. The forest is usually filled with Pidgey and Spearow."

The little red bird hops closer to Charvo trying to threaten it.

Phoenix pulls out his phone and opens the Dexter app. He snaps a picture of the bird and it processes instantly.

"Fletchling: Despite the beauty of its lilting voice, it's merciless to intruders that enter its territory. It evolves into Fletchinder and then Talonflame." Dexter spews.

"Fletchling? It evolves into Talonflame. Dad caught one in Kalos. What's it doing here?" Phoenix wonders aloud as the little bird flaps its wings at Charvo.

"Charmeleon," Charvo states as it sweat drops at the sight of the tiny bird threatening him.

"He's got a fighting spirit! Let's capture it!" Phoenix takes a fighting stance which cues Charvo to follow.

"Charvo! Use metal claw!"

Charvo does not hesitate as it slashes the little bird Pokemon across the path.

"Fletch!" It screeches as it hits the ground.

The little bird pops back up quickly and soars at Charvo.

"Catch it!" Phoenix orders. Charvo catches Fletchling in its claws as it attempts to peck it. "Throw it!"

Charvo spins in a circle and then throws it against the closest tree.

"Oh no, is it alright?" Phoenix watches fearfully as the little bird doesn't get back up.

"Charmeleon!" Charvo motions for Phoenix to use a Pokeball.

"Right! Then we can get it to the Viridian City Pokemon Center!" Phoenix agrees as he pulls a Pokeball off his belt.

"I have to do this right," Phoenix says as he takes the brim of his hat and turns it around on his head. Then he winds up and throws the ball at the little Fletchling.

However, before the ball has a chance to make contact with the little Fletchling, a much larger bird interrupts its path and sends the ball flying across the clearing. The bird is a beautiful white and tan color with a long, colorful, decorative feather that rests down its back.

"PIDGEOT!" It screeches as it holds its wings out to a ten foot wingspan. It is a much more intimidating display than the Fletchling's was.

"A Pidgeot?" Phoenix steps back, fearing for himself and Charvo. They are a strong team, but a full grown Pidgeot would be more than a challenge.

The bird steps forward and screeches.

"I know my limits," Phoenix exclaims to the bird, "I surrender."

The giant bird eyes the teen and lowers its wings partially. Above them, Phoenix watches a tremendous flock of Pidgey circling above. From the middle of it, a larger gray and red bird soars downward and lands in between Phoenix and the Pidgeot.

"Talonflame?" Phoenix asks while looking closer at the familiar Pokemon.

Talonflame uses its wing to motion to Phoenix and then chirps furiously at Pidgeot.

"Pidgeot?" The majestic bird peers around Talonflame to give Phoenix a skeptical once over.

"Talon Talon!" Talonflame uses its wing to pull Phoenix closer to Pidgeot. He is positive at this point that the Talonflame is his father's Pokemon.

Talonflame nuzzles Pidgeot's ruffled feathers and the bird completely drops its defense.

The two enter a new discussion as Phoenix and Charvo watch in wonder and confusion

"Fletchling?" the once fainted little bird now chirps as it looks up between the two fully evolved Pokemon.

Pidgeot looks down at the little Fletchling who is once again ruffling its feathers and spreading its wings. It wants to be big and strong like Pidgeot and Talonflame.

"Is that your baby?" Phoenix asks the pair, "I didn't know you were roaming this far from the reserve, Talonflame."

The fire bird chirps in response and motions to Pidgeot.

"I don't understand," Phoenix frowns as the the two chatter away. He deducts that Talonflame is a female and she has taken Pidgeot as her mate.

Talonflame contemplates for a moment and then has an idea. She wacks the hat off of Phoenix's head and grabs it with her beak.

"Hey, that's my dad's!" Phoenix yells in annoyance.

Talonflame pays no mind as she stretches upwards and places the hat atop Pidgeot's head. The large bird raises a wing to feel the fabric of the important hat the rests on his head.

"Are you saying," Phoenix looks carefully at the Pidgeot, "that Pidgeot was my father's Pokemon?"

Pidgeot grabs the hat by the brim and holds it in front of himself. Phoenix can see that memories flash through his mind.

"Pidgeot," it finally nods and hands the hat back to Phoenix.

"I think I remember you," Phoenix racks his brain for the right memory, "you stopped to greet us by the river one day, didn't you? Dad said he had to let you go."

Pidgeot stands up straight again, extends his wings, and caws loudly. The flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto above them disperse into the trees.

"You're their leader?" Phoenix asks and Pidgeot nods, "you left my dad to be the leader?"

Pidgeot caws again.

"It's so awesome to meet you." Phoenix smiles a bright Ketchum smile that catches Pidgeot off guard. Pidgeot can see it now. "I won't bother you anymore. I'll catch a Rattata or something!"

Pidgeot looks at the teen thoughtfully and then back at Fletchling.

"Pidgeot!" Pidgeot uses a wing to push Fletchling forward.

"Talonflame?" Talonflame questions Pidgeot's actions.

Pidgeot chirps at Talonflame who then nods and accepts Pidgeot's decision.

"Fletchling?" the little gray and red bird asks.

Phoenix watches curiously as Pidgeot explains something to Fletchling. Then the little bird nods and hops towards Phoenix. It raises its wings again and chirps.

"You want me to take Fletchling with me?" Phoenix asks.

Pidgeot and Talonflame nod and caw.

"Well, I was planning to capture it anyway, so that would be awesome!" Phoenix exclaims. Charvo hands Phoenix the Pokeball that Pidgeot had knocked away earlier.

Phoenix places the hat back on his head backwards and says, "where was I?"

He winds up and throws the ball at Fletchling who is absorbed immediately.

It wiggles once, twice, and then stops.

Phoenix springs up in joy and cheers that he caught his first Pokemon, "YES! I did it! I caught Fletchling! Come on out!"

The little bird emerges again and flitters about. It nuzzles against its mother's cheek and then nestles itself under its father's wing. Then it soars up to land on Phoenix's shoulder.

"Hey Fletchling," Phoenix cooes at it, "you, me, and Charvo are going to make a great team!"

"Fletching!" the little bird agrees.

Its parents caw a goodbye as they both extend their wings and raise themselves into the sky to reunite with their flock.

"Goodbye, Talonflame! Goodbye, Pidgeot! Take care!" Phoenix shouts upwards at them as them fly away.

"Alright," Phoenix turns his hat forward again and looks down the path they were headed, "let's keep moving!

As Fletchling soars around his head and Charvo marches next to him, Phoenix believes they are a champion team in the making.

* * *

"_Alright, son," Ash speaks as he walks through the forest with nine-year-old Phoenix, "this is going to be your lesson on capturing Pokemon."_

"_I already know how to capture Pokemon! I've seen you do it a hundred times." Phoenix tells him._

"_Yes, you've seen it, but let's talk through it. Then you will be ready when you turn ten in a few months." Ash ruffles Phoenix's hair which is his way of telling Phoenix not to be so serious._

"_Alright, alright," Phoenix agrees._

"_Ah ha!" Ash points over to a rocky area along the tree line, "perfect place for Nidoran."_

_Ash pulls out a ball and throws it. A Growlithe emerges and shakes his mane._

"_Alright, Growlithe, sniff one out!" Ash orders and Growlithe gets to work right away. _

_They follow Growlithe through the trees and down an embankment. When they arrive at a stream, they spot a female Nidoran drinking from the river._

"_Growlithe, sneak up and use headbutt." Ash tells him._

"_Growl!" He grunts quietly. Then he slowly makes his way towards the Nidoran. _

_Without warning, the Nidoran is tossed across the grass. She panics and moves to a defensive position. _

"_Growlithe, ember!" Ash orders. Growlithe shoots a weak flame at the small Nidoran. She scampers away, but Growlithe is too fast. Without a command it blocks her escape and tackles her._

"_Now it's time." Ash says as he pulls out a Pokeball. He tosses it effortlessly and Nidoran is absorbed inside. It wiggles three times and then stops._

"_So, first you find a wild Pokemon." Ash states as he picks up the ball._

"_Then you weaken it." Phoenix continues. "Then you capture it. I get it, dad. I watch all sorts of Pokemon adventure shows. I know how it works."_

"_Then they have to decide if they want to stay with you." Ash continues even through Phoenix's attitude._

"_What do you mean?" Phoenix asks, now curious._

"_I mean, that some Pokemon are not meant to be trained. Some want to stay with their families in the wild. Many people think we should just break the will of the untrainable," Ash explains looking at the Pokeball in his hand, "but I believe that the Pokemon should have a choice. If you ever wonder how I have built such a strong team, it is because they all want to stay with me and work hard with me. I don't push Pokemon who don't want to be pushed."_

"_I understand," Phoenix says and nods his head, "what will you do with Nidoran?"_

"_She has a family waiting for her. She's very young." Ash explains as he tosses the ball forward._

_The little blue Nidoran emerges and shakes in fear looking up at the large people. _

"_Hey, little one," Ash kneels next to her and pats her head, "I think you're awesome and you're going to be big and strong one day. But today, you are going to go back home."_

_The Nidoran looks up at Ash confused._

"_Go ahead, go find your parents." Ash smiles encouragingly. The little Pokemon's ears raise with its smile and it hops away gleefully. _

_Ash stands up and places a hand on his son's shoulders. Suddenly there is a screeching from the sky. Ash searches as a large flock of birds flies overhead. _

_A grin forms on his face, "perfect timing!" _

_He pulls his fingers up to his lips and whistles loudly._

_Phoenix watches the sky in confusion as a large bird soars towards them and lands next to Ash. The bird, who is just as tall as Ash, caws in delight and nuzzles against Ash._

"_Pidgeot! Pidgeot!" Ash laughs joyously as the bird tickles him with his feathers, "stop that!"_

"_Phoenix," Ash straightens up suddenly and pats Pidgeot's wing, "sometimes, you have to let them go, even when they don't want to leave you."_

_Pidgeot caws loudly and flaps his wings hard enough to lift him off the ground and back into the air._

"_But, no matter what, you will always be friends," Ash assures Phoenix who watches the flock disappear into the distance._

* * *

I was originally going to have Phoenix capture a Pidgey, but then I thought that Ash's Pidgeot would be there to protect the Pidgey near Pallet. THEN, I thought that he should have a Fletchling because it evolves into Talonflame which is basically a phoenix and that would just be neat. So the way I got there to be a Fletchling in Kanto was to breed Ash's Talonflame with Pidgeot (who both have unknown genders in the anime). Then it turned into a life lesson about Friendship.

Love, Alert, Review!

I love hearing from my readers!


	3. Prodigy

Welcome back! Enjoy!

* * *

**Part 3**

There is a chill in the summer night breeze that drifts into the Viridian City Pokemon Center when the automatic doors open to reveal Phoenix Ketchum entering. He is covered in mud from head to toe with a mop of dishevelled hair hidden under the famous league hat resting on top. He sighs in relief and looks around the center. It is late at night and few trainers hang around the lobby.

"Welcome!" a woman calls from the counter.

Phoenix recognizes her as one of the many Nurse Joys that occupy Pokemon Centers across Kanto and the world. He had been to many centers with his parents.

"I would like to leave my Pokemon over night for care and I would like a room, please," Phoenix requests politely although he is exhausted.

"Let's see," Nurse Joy types on her computer, "we have rooms available. Can I just see your trainer I.D.?"

Phoenix looks at her sheepishly, "I don't know if I have one."

"Do you have the Dexter App on your phone?" She asks while holding her hand out for it.

"Oh yeah," he digs in his pocket, unlocks it, and then hands it to her.

Nurse Joy fiddles with the app and then pulls up a screen.

"If you need to show your trainer I.D. just pull up Dexter and then hit the Trainer Information button here and that's all you need!" Nurse Joy smiles as she scans the QR code on the info screen. She hands it back to him saying, "you're all set, Phoenix!"

"That's it?" He asks, surprised by the efficiency of the process.

"Yep!" She smiles and continues, "your room number is on the screen. Just use your phone to scan the pad on the door and you have access to your room. If your phone dies then just come see me for help. I can take your Pokemon now."

"Wow," he wonders aloud as he looks down at his phone, "technology is neat!"

"I know, right?" She laughs with him.

Phoenix hands five Pokeballs to Nurse Joy.

"They will feel all better by morning!" She smiles cheerfully at him.

"Is it alright if I use one of the video phones? I had spotty signal in the forest." Phoenix asks as he points to a row of computers.

"Of course! Curfew is in twenty minutes, though, so be quick!" She smiles at the teen and starts to go back to work.

"Sounds good!" He starts to head towards the phones.

"Oh, and Mr. Ketchum," Nurse Joy calls, a mysterious glint in her eyes, "two rowdy kids, a Pikachu, and a group of Team Rocket accidentally blew this Pokemon Center up about thirty years ago. Please, restrain yourself."

Nurse Joy laughs as Phoenix looks at her with his eyes furrowed in confusion.

"Ask Professor Oak," she laughs at her own joke and then continues to the back with Phoenix's Pokemon.

Phoenix shakes his head and wonders if the Pikachu was a reference to his father. How and why would he blow up the Pokemon Center though? He shakes his head in wonder.

He sighs as he sits on one of the stools in front of the computer screen. The technology, though ancient, is reliable and easy to use. He dials a number he knows by heart.

Ring ring ring, ring ring ring, phone call, phone call

Ring ring ring, ring ring ring, phone call, phone call

"Hello?" Gary Oak's face appears on the screen, "Ah, Phoenix, I figured it might be you."

"Hey professor," Phoenix grins and waves through the web camera.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long to get to Viridian City until I started to receive Pokemon from you. You must have caught, what, seven already?" Gary asks doing the math in his head.

"Yeah, it's been a lot of fun," Phoenix tells him, excited about his first few days as a trainer, "My first was a Fletchling. I thought it was strange to see it here in Kanto, but I found out that was bred from my dad's Talonflame and Pidgeot! They trusted me to take him with me! Then I caught a male Nidoran, Rattata, and Oddish on the second day. On day three, I found a Shinx! I know they are rare in the region so I was determined to catch it! Then it turns out I went too far west and ended up at the gates of the Pokemon League today. It worked out well, though, because I caught a Mankey and a Spearow which you know because you have them there."

"Ash: 0. Phoenix: 7." Gary chuckles to himself. The memory of his friend as a rash and inexperienced trainer strikes him as hilarious.

"Speaking of my dad," Phoenix ponders aloud, "do you know anything about him blowing up the Viridian City Pokemon Center? Nurse Joy made a joke that I don't quite understand."

"He did what?" Gary asked in surprised confusion; his eyebrows raising questioningly.

"He sure helped!" a separate shaky voice is heard from the other side of the conversation.

"Gramps, what do you know?" Gary asked the elderly man.

"All I know is that the center was under attack and Ash and Pikachu defended to the point of catastrophe!" Professor Oak Sr. laughs heartily in the background.

"Yikes," Phoenix shakes his head at the thought.

"Your dad was," Gary pauses to choose his words carefully, "creative."

"Sounds like it," Phoenix laughs a little. It seems his first few days of being a trainer has already been more successful than his father, the late Pokemon Master.

"Anyway, was there anything I could do for you? Gary asks looking at his watch, "I assume curfew is going to start really soon."

"Yeah, actually. I was hoping you could send me Mankey in exchange for Rattata. I know my first gym battle will be against Forrest, so I need to train a team strong against rock."

"You have so much potential," Gary laughs, comparing him once again to his father. "Just don't use that Shinx against Onix. Your dad is the only one who could pull that one off."

"Are there that many stories about him that he never told me?" Phoenix asks with a half hearted chuckle.

"From his first few years? Yes." Gary laughs along with him, "I don't know them all though. Ask your Uncle Brock when you get to Pewter."

"Yes, sir," Phoenix agrees with a bright smile.

"Anyway, place Rattata on the transfer machine there," Gary instructs.

Phoenix does what he's told.

"Now, here comes Mankey," Gary presses a few buttons on the machine and the transfer begins.

Rattata's ball dematerializes and Mankey's appears just a few seconds later.

"Got him!" Phoenix exclaims, holding up the Pokeball.

"And here is Rattata," Gary holds up the other Pokeball.

"Great! Thanks, Gary!" Phoenix says as he puts Mankey's Pokeball on his currently empty belt.

"Alright, now," Gary looks at him with a stern expression, "go on to bed now so you can make it through the Viridian Forest tomorrow!"

"Yes, sir!" Phoenix nods his head.

"Good night, Phoenix," Gary says.

"G'night, professor!" Phoenix responds causing Gary to chuckle as the screen goes blank.

"Time for bed," Phoenix says to himself as he stands up and walks towards the hall to the rented rooms.

"Lets see," he looks down at his phone, "room 15."

He follows the increasing numbers and finds his room. The phone unlocks it like a charm and he enters. The room is small and meant for only one person. There is a small bed and a dresser to set his items.

He sets his bag on the dresser and undresses. His clothes are already muddy and in need of washing. He sets the dirty clothes in the corner and slips on a new pair of boxers and a shirt. Then he slips under the covers and falls fast asleep.

\--

When Phoenix awakens the next morning, he realizes that he has slept past nine. His sleep was deep and dreamless which was a relief to him. He can't remember the last time he slept so long without being haunted by the smoke and heat of the fire.

His intention was to leave early in the morning to head towards Pewter city. However, he now realizes that the rest he got and washing his travelling clothes is more important than getting there today.

He pulls on a pair of pajama pants and his hat and then picks up the dirty clothes on the ground. Then he bundles them up and holds them out in front of him trying to prevent his pajamas from getting dirty too. He uses his spare hand to tuck his phone in his pocket and then leaves the room to find the laundry area.

After throwing the dirty clothes into the washing machine, Phoenix decides to retrieve his Pokemon from Nurse Joy.

The lobby is much busier now that it is day time and Phoenix has to wait in line for his Pokemon. There are kids his age and younger and some adults passing through as well. It is hard to move about through all of the traffic. He is content to stand in line though. He needs to wait for his laundry anyway. Nurse Joy is overwhelmed by the business and starts calling out for people to retrieve their Pokemon.

A younger boy behind him taps him on the shoulder and says, Hey! That's a neat hat!"

"Oh, thanks," Phoenix nods politely. The boy appears to be about thirteen or fourteen. His yellow hair spikes up slightly, but is cut short. His green eyes shine with envy as he stares at the Official Pokemon League hat on Phoenix's head. He is wearing a green jacket and a pair of normal blue jeans.

"Where did you get it?" he continues eyeing it curiously, "it is really hard to get those hats. Did you win a special competition for it?"

"Erm, not quite," Phoenix grumbles not really wanting to share more, but he was raised to be polite so he responds, "It was my dad's."

"Awesome!" The boy chirps with a smile, "my name is Austin Hansen."

"Phoenix," he responds, inwardly rolling his eyes, purposefully not sharing his surname.

The last thing I need is for some kid to follow me around. He thinks.

"Phoenix Ketchum?" Nurse Joy asks loudly above the crowd, trying to spot the auburn haired teen.

There is a dip in conversation as eyes from all around the room search the crowd to spot him.

Phoenix loses his breath momentarily as so many trainers look at him expectantly.

The crowd opens up as he walks towards the counter to retrieve his party.

"Here are your Pokemon," Nurse Joy hands them to Phoenix. He looks around at the people stuck in awe quickly becoming uncomfortable with their gazes.

He thanks Nurse Joy quietly and then pushes his way through the crowd and back towards the laundry area.

"When you said it was your dad's, you weren't kidding!" Phoenix turns to see Austin following him. He continues, "I thought there was something familiar about you!"

"Do you want an autograph or something?" Phoenix sneers defensively.

His attitude doesn't seem to phase Austin who continues on excitedly, "nah, I'm just curious if you're as good as him."

Phoenix looks at him bewildered. Is the late Pokemon Master's 16-year-old son as good as he was? Absurd.

He pulls the washing machine open and gathers his clothes. Then he tosses them into the dry and starts the cycle.

A fire ignites in his eyes, "I will be."

"That's the spirit!" Austin laughs heartily, "so how long have you been travelling? I thought the news would have caught you out and about by now."

"This is my fourth day," Phoenix shrugs it off as no big deal.

"You just started?" Austin asks, slightly deflated, "I thought you'd be able to show me some neat Pokemon."

"What's it matter if I started when I was ten or sixteen, I'll get there eventually." Phoenix sighs lightly, realizing that this boy was not going to leave him alone.

"No, no, I understand. My parents didn't let me go until I turned Fourteen four months ago." Austin shares with a shrug.

"If you've been travelling for four months, why are you here?" Phoenix asks curiously. It is common knowledge that Viridian was a city for extreme beginners and for skilled trainers heading towards the Pokemon League. There was little in between.

The boy's eyes drop to the floor and he sighs with defeat, "I can't beat the Cerulean City Gym, so I decided to come back home to Viridian for a week."

Phoenix's ears perk up at the mention of his mother's family's gym.

"My aunts putting you through the ringer?" Phoenix tries to hold back a laugh. He is aware of his Aunt Daisy's current reputation of kicking trainers to the curb using his mother's Pokemon.

"Your aunts?" Austin pauses thoughtfully for a moment until a lightbulb flashes through his brain. "Totally my bad, bro. I always think of Misty Ketchum as the late Elite Four Member and not a former Gym Leader."

Phoenix's eyes glaze over at the thought of his mother and her successful career. It is rare that she was acknowledged for her incredible accomplishments while married to the greatest Pokemon Trainer in the world. However, from his perspective, his mother was not one to care for her reputation. She knew that she was a water Pokemon master, and that was all that mattered caeer-wise. She had been a wife and a mother first, and as an older teen, he now respected her more for standing next to his father and allowing him to receive the praise and fame.

"Anyway, it's unfair that the second gym in Kanto has a freakin' Gyarados that was trained by an Elite Four Member!" Austin exclaims in frustration. "I've been thinking about going to other gyms and going back to Cerulean later. That's what most people do these days."

"After I beat Forrest in Pewter, I'm going straight there to take on Gyarados." Phoenix says, a spark of determination flashing in his eyes.

"You sure are confident for training for only four days," Austin says furrowing his eyebrows.

"My parents prepared me for this from the day I was born to the day they died," Phoenix says stoically, "I was born to be a master."

Austin looks at him with wide eyes, "I've never been that determined before."

"Well get that determined because we're going to battle." Phoenix declares hotly as he grabs his clothes out of the dryer.

Austin's eyes burn with a similar fire at the chance to battle the son of the late Pokemon Master.

"You're on."

After Phoenix changed into his training clothes he met Austin outside on the small battle field.

"Are you ready, noobie?" Austin asks with a teasing chuckle.

"How many Pokemon?" Phoenix asks.

"How's a simply one on one, sound?" Austin suggests while pulling out a Pokeball from his bag.

"Fine by me," Phoenix agrees.

"Since I'm the experienced trainer, I will send out my Pokemon first so you can choose wisely." Austin says. He isn't trying to be rude, but comes off as slightly condescending.

"Go for it," Phoenix nods, "but I only need this one Pokemon anyway."

Austin smirks and shakes his head. He enlarges the Pokeball in his hand and throws it forward, "go Charmeleon!"

Before Austin appears a bright red lizard. Its scales reflect the light of the day which gives it a healthy, glossy look. Phoenix can tell that the Pokemon is very young based on its size even as a Charmeleon. Many Pokemon, especially reptilian Pokemon, grow throughout their lives even between evolutions. The Charmeleon huffs and scratches at the ground in preparation.

"Then I'll fight fire with fire!" Phoenix grins as he chucks his Pokeball across the field.

Charvo's form appears. His leathery, pastel orange scales glitter in the sunlight. He stands straight and proudly across from the other Charmeleon. Phoenix notices right away that Charvo stands a head taller.

"A shiny?" Austin asks in awe, "I didn't think you'd be able to show me any neat Pokemon, but I was wrong! That's so awesome! How'd you get it?"

"Being shiny was pure luck," Phoenix shrugs his shoulders, but then takes a determined fighting stance, "but his champion pedigree was planned."

"You're not saying what I think you're saying," Austin stare in disbelief at the orange reptile.

"Son of a champion." Phoenix can't help but boast slightly. Charvo is his pride and joy.

Austin watches somewhat starstruck.

"I'm battling against the late Pokemon Master's son and the son of his famous Charizard…" Austin trails off. "THIS IS THE COOLEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"

Phoenix's sweat drops from his forehead, not used to the attention or the awestruck fans. Pallet is a quiet city where everyone knew who he is and who his family was. Being out in Viridian where everyone knows the 'Ketchum' name is unsettling.

"Can we just battle?" Phoenix asks while rubbing the back of his neck. It was a nervous habit that he picked up from his father.

"Right," Austin nods getting himself ready.

"I insist you start," Phoenix says nonchalantly.

"Alright," Austin agrees. He looks contemplative for a moment and then shouts out, "Charmeleon, start out with a scratch attack!"

"Charvo, use flamethrower to keep it back!" Phoenix counters.

Austin's Charmeleon races towards Charvo with its claws ready for impact. Charvo braces himself against the ground and releases a steamy flamethrower.

"Get out of the way!" Austin commands.

"Follow it with your fire!" Phoenix does not relent.

The flamethrower hits Austin's Charmeleon and follows it to inflict maximum damage.

"Get in there with another scratch attack!"

"Wait," Phoenix calls out. Charvo freezes where he is and waits until Austin's Charmeleon approaches. "Dodge and grab it!"

As Austin's Charmeleon attempts to slash him, Charvo smoothly steps back. At the right moment, Charvo grabs Charmeleon's tail.

"Seismic Toss!" Phoenix orders it.

Charvo swings Austin's Charmeleon in circles and then pulls it up and slams it back to the ground. Austin's Charmeleon struggles to stand, but manages to gain its balance.

"It has grit," Phoenix commends.

Austin grits his teeth as he realizes that the direction of this battle is not in his favor.

"Try your best flamethrower!"

Austin's Charmeleon takes a deep breath and roars as it releases a fiery blast.

"Into the depths!" Phoenix calls.

Charvo plants his feet on the ground and leans forward. As the flamethrower hits, he races forward into the flames.

"What?" Austin asks in confusion as Charvo is willingly swallowed up.

"Dragon rush!" Phoenix exclaims loud enough for Charvo to hear.

As Austin's Charmeleon stops its flamethrower to inspect what's happening, it opens its eyes to find Charvo hurtling full force into him.

"Char!" It screeches as its knocked back across the battlefield and out of bounds.

Charvo grips the dirt with his claws to stop himself from continuing in his forward momentum.

Austin looks at his fallen Charmeleon who's laying motionless at his feet.

"Charmeleon!" He shouts as he drops to his knees.

"Char," it says weakly and lays its head on Austin's lap.

"Is it alright?" Phoenix begins to worry when the other Charmeleon doesn't get up.

Charvo runs to check with Phoenix following close behind.

"I think he just needs a good rest." Austin smiles up at them and strokes Charmeleon's head.

"That's a relief," Phoenix lets a smile loose, "at least the Pokemon Center is right here."

"Yeah, definitely," Austin agrees. He pulls out Charmeleon's Pokeball and returns him.

"How is your Charmeleon so good if you've only been a trainer for four days?" Austin asks in wonder.

"I've had Charvo since he was an egg. He's been my best friend ever since. We've been training at home since I was nine." Phoenix finally explains.

"That makes more sense." Austin's smile grows, "I seriously thought a rookie beat me, but I guess that's not what you are."

"What do you mean? I did just start." Phoenix asks, confused.

"You, my friend," Austin pats Phoenix on the shoulder, "you are a prodigy."

* * *

"Are you sure you want to come with me?" Phoenix asks the next morning as he throws his backpack over his shoulders.

"Are you kidding me?" Austin asks, his mouth agape, "I just have this feeling that going with you will be the adventure of a lifetime!"

Somehow, the younger boy had weaseled his way into a friendship with Phoenix. They had spent the night before at the Pokemon Center again. They introduced each other to their Pokemon and talked about what it was like growing up in southwest Kanto. Phoenix was still reluctant to talk about his late parents and Austin, surprisingly, didn't push anymore.

At some point in the night, Austin decided that he would join Phoenix on his journey, saying something about a front seat to history in the making. Phoenix, though skeptical, concluded that his new friendship with the younger teen was not as painful as he initially thought it would be and decided he would give travelling with another person a try. Thus led to the two waking up early in the morning and checking out of the Pokemon Center together.

"I don't see how my adventure is going to be any different than any other new trainer." Phoenix shakes his head as they walk. They have now entered into the main area of the Viridian Forest.

"Like I said, I just have this feeling," Austin emphasizes with a bright smile.

Phoenix's eyes snap upwards as he notices a moving branch up above.

"Who's there?" He asks, staring, "show yourself!"

However, before whatever it was had a chance to come out, someone appears before them on the path.

"Hold on there, kids." A man dressed in a Police Uniform stops them.

"I need to inspect your Pokemon before you go any further." The man states, speaking with authority.

"What do you mean?" Austin asks, confused.

"Official Police business." The man tells them.

"Then I will call the Viridian Police department and double check." Phoenix states, pulling out his phone.

The man sneers and pulls out two Pokeballs.

"You wouldn't believe how many rookie trainers fall for this." He laughs evilly, "I will just have to take yours by force."

He rips off the Police Uniform and reveals a black shirt with a red R on the front.

"Team Rocket!" Phoenix growls while pulling out his own Pokeball.

"We have to take him out." Austin states, also pulling a Pokeball out.

The grunt throws his Pokeballs to reveal a Raticate and an Ekans.

"Ready?" Phoenix asks Austin.

Austin nods in confirmation, and the two new friends toss their Pokeballs forward.

Austin's choice forms in front of him; a twiggy looking Pokemon composed of vines, leaves, and a venus fly trap for a face. Phoenix's Pokemon, his newly caught Mankey appears looking somewhat confused. Phoenix has not had the chance to even meet Mankey since he caught it, so it was a wonder how he would command it.

"Alright, Bellsprout, leech seed!" Austin starts with an energy draining move off the bat. Vines grow from underneath the Pokemon and grab onto them, gradually sucking their life force.

"Mankey, you got this!" Phoenix encourages it, "Just like when you battled me! Use karate chop on Raticate!"

Mankey decides to follow Phoenix's order and rushes in towards Raticate. With a quick karate chop, Raticate is sent flying across the terrain.

"Bellsprout use vine whip at Ekans!" Austin orders and the flexible twig Pokemon snaps its long vines at the snake.

"Ergh!" The grunt screams in frustration. "Raticate, use superfang! Ekans use bite!"

Raticate springs forward towards Mankey who looks concerned at the larger Pokemon approaching. Ekans moves in at a lightning pace and bites Bellsprout.

"Jump high to dodge, and use mega kick!" Phoenix commands Mankey. The monkey Pokemon obeys blindly and manages to land a direct kick to Raticate's face; effectively knocking it out.

"Ekans, poison sting!" The grunt orders his other Pokemon while he returns Raticate.

The poison stink hits Bellsprout directly and it falls backward, poisoned.

"Return!" Austin yells and the Pokeball's red light envelopes Bellsprout.

"Mankey," Phoenix points at their new target, "fury swipes at Ekans!"

Mankey scrambles towards Ekans and begins slashing it over and over until it also falls defeated.

The grunt's face heats up and he boils as he realizes that the two younger trainers defeated him.

"Why you little!" He begins to run towards them preparing to attack them.

"Mankey, thrash!" Phoenix orders quickly. They little pig monkey leaps towards the man and thrashes its entire body inflicting as much damage as possible.

The man quickly decides that fighting an enraged Mankey is not his best call and high tails it out of there. Mankey drops to the ground, breathing heavily.

"Oh wow," Phoenix grins at the little pig monkey, "you are incredible!"

Mankey's tough exterior drops and appears to blush under its trainer's gaze. Then it jumps up and climbs Phoenix's arm to sit on his shoulder.

"Mankey, Mankey!" it rubs its head against his.

"Good at battling and affectionate!" Phoenix laughs while he rubs its ear.

"She was a good choice!" Austin praises watching the monkey Pokemon closely.

"She?" Phoenix pauses, turning to look at the Pokemon.

"Yeah totally!" Austin laugh heartily, "Mankey are usually reckless. Usually only the females are that affectionate."

"Oh that's neat," Phoenix smiles, "I wouldn't have guessed. How'd you know that?"

"My dad has a Primeape so I know a little about them." Austin shrugs his shoulders.

"Gotcha," Phoenix nods, "so, shall we head on through the forest?"

As they are about to continue on their way, the ground beneath them gives way and they find themselves in a hole over ten feet deep.

"What the heck?" Phoenix stares up at the top of the hole, trying to figure how they got there.

"It must have been the Team Rocket grunt," Austin concludes, standing up and wiping dirt from his pants.

"Pi!" They hear from above. They quickly look up.

Hanging on a branch looking down at them sits a Pichu, giggling wildly at them.

"What's so funny?" Austin asks while trying to contain a smile.

"Pichu, Pi Pichu!" it laughs again, almost falling off the branch.

"Do you just hang around and watch as people fall into Team Rocket's traps?" Austin asks, somewhat bewildered.

It only continues giggling.

"I have to capture it." Phoenix states while staring at the little mouse Pokemon.

"What?" Austin questions, but quickly realizes the significance of the small, electric rodent.

Phoenix pulls a Pokeball off his belt and tosses it into the air.

"Go, Fletchling!" Phoenix exclaims as the little red and gray bird appears.

"Fletch!" he cries out and waits for orders.

"See that little Pichu?" Phoenix asks, pointing up at it, "I want you to battle it and don't let it go while I get out of this hole."

Fletchling nods obediently and soars upwards. He aims his beak at the Pichu and slams into it. Pichu is knocked off the branch, but is able to catch it again and hang from it.

Fletchling caws at it and rams into it again. Pichu finally has a chance to gain its bearings, so it runs across the branch towards the base of the tree. Then it flees into the forest. Fletchling soars after it, determined not to let his trainer down.

Meanwhile, Phoenix, Austin, and Mankey work to dig steps out of the side of the hole. When they finally emerge, they find Fletchling and the Pichu gone.

"Go Pidgeotto!" Austin exclaims, letting lose his Pidgeotto, "find a Fletchling and a Pichu. They went that way!"

"Neat!" Phoenix appreciates the bird that is the pre-evolution to Pidgeot.

"Thanks! Caught it in the Viridian Forest my first time around." Austin explains as the two start running after Pidgeotto. Mankey still sits on Phoenix's shoulders, enjoying the ride.

"Pidgeo, Pidgeo!" the bird motions for them to continue following.

They run along through the forest, ducking between trees and dodging bug Pokemon. Phoenix makes a mental note to not return to the Viridian forest for a while. There is something about being surrounded by bug Pokemon that feels off-putting to him. One Caterpie and one weedle would be enough for him. However, at the moment, the Pichu is his main priority.

"Fletchling!" Phoenix finally hears his Pokemon. Soon, him and Pichu come into view, running into a clearing.

"Piiii chu," its cheeks spark with electricity.

"Fletchling, return," Phoenix calls, holding up the Pokeball to call him back.

Austin looks at Phoenix quizzically. The little Pichu stares at them while discharging its energy.

"Pichu," Phoenix says firmly, fire burning in his cerulean eyes, "my dad trained the strongest Raichu that ever walked the earth. I know how to take care of electric types, especially those of your kind. Please consider joining me."

"Pichu?" the little yellow and black mouse is caught off guard. It had defended itself against many new trainers just starting out and has never once heard such a proposal. The boy hadn't even sent out a Pokemon to continue the fight. Pichu's defenses drop and it stares up at him with bright eyes.

"Ah," Phoenix grins as he takes his bag off his shoulder and pulls out a jar. Then he loosens it and pinches a small piece. He kneels down to be level with Pichu and extends the food to it, "this is a special Pokemon food recipe that my uncle Brock created. Raichu loves this recipe."

Pichu approaches wearily. It slowly extends its paw and snatches the Pokemon food from Phoenix's hand.

As it munches on the piece of food its eyes shine at the happy taste, "Pi pi Pichu!"

"Told you it was good!" Phoenix laughs and offers it more.

"Pichu Pichu," this time it grabs it and doesn't run away.

"Mankey, Mankey!" the pig monkey squeals from his shoulder while looking at the food jar.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Phoenix grabs another piece and hands it to Mankey, "you fought so well against Team Rocket, I can't believe I forgot to give you a piece."

Pichu giggles from its spot and chews on the Pokemon food. Mankey scrambles off Phoenix's shoulder and sits next to Pichu. The two start to chatter like old friends.

"Would you look at that?" Austin grins at the sight, "friends already."

Pichu looks up at Austin and cocks its head. Then it stares back at Phoenix.

"You can't decide, huh?" Phoenix asks, watching carefully, "it's alright if you don't want to come."

"Pichu!" it squeaks as it jumps into his arms and tries to twist the jar off the Pokemon food.

"Oh I see," Phoenix laughs heartily, "you need more convincing?"

Phoenix helps it open it and the little mouse scurries up to Phoenix's shoulder. The gestures causes Phoenix to remember a specific picture hung up on his bulletin board. One where his father as a preteen stands with a peace sign extended toward the camera. His trusty Pikachu sits on his shoulder copying the same sign. Somehow, having the little Pichu on his shoulder fills a void. As he walks in his father's footsteps, he learns even more about the man once called the Pokemon Master and ultimately more about himself.

* * *

_"Sceptile, use dragon pulse!" Ash exclaims and the large leafy reptile powers up for a super-effective hit against a skilled Haxorus._

_The green and gray dragon is tossed forcefully against a rock on the battlefield._

_"Haxorus is unable to battle," the referee holds up the flag towards Ash, "the champion is the winner."_

_"Way to go, dad!" Phoenix cheers from the sidelines where family and friends are welcome to view the battle._

_"Phoenix, wait until he is done talking to the challenger," Misty lays a hand on her son's back while holding River on her knee._

_The little girl giggles at the sight of the Sceptile. The large Pokemon catches sight of her and blushes lightly at how adorable she is. At four years old, she has proven to be infatuated with all Pokemon -especially the strongest of Ash and Misty's teams. The girl clings to them magnetically._

_"But mom," Phoenix whimpers looking out at his father talking to the challenger, "I want to know what dad is telling him!"_

_"Your dad has this silly speech he gives every challenger." Misty playfully rolls her eyes, a smile forming across her face._

_"Do you think he'll ever give me the speech?" Phoenix asks out of curiosity, looking back at his mom._

_"Daddy gave me the speech," River giggles and sticks her tongue out at Phoenix._

_"Yeah right, Rivvy." Phoenix sasses and flicks her arm._

_"OW!" River screeches at the action, "MOM!"_

_"Phoenix!" Misty raises her voice incredulously._

_"What?" Phoenix asks, feeling irritated._

_"You know it's not okay to touch River that way," Misty scolded lightly, "especially because she's a lot younger than you."_

_"But mom, she's an annoying brat," Phoenix crosses his arms and turns up his nose._

_"Mommy!" River whimpers at the insult._

_"Phoenix," Misty's tone softens as she rocks River back and forth, "she is young now, but someday, you and her are going to be good friends. Someday you will need each other. She needs her big brother."_

_Phoenix stares at his little sister whose face is still pressed into their mothers chest. It's then he notices how similar they are. The girl had just been fawning over their dad's Pokemon just like he always had. They both adore Pokemon. He also sees her wavy auburn hair that is the exact same shade as his._

_Phoenix sighs and plops down next to his mother._

_"Hey River," he starts quietly, "I'm sorry."_

_River slowly removes her face from Misty and peers over at her brother._

_"I got carried away," Phoenix attempts to explain, "I want to be a great trainer and challenge dad someday, but I bet you will want the same thing."_

_"I'm going to be the best Poke Master ever!" River exclaims, a smile returning to her lips. "Just like mommy and daddy."_

_"Aw, thanks, baby," Misty coos as she strokes her daughter's hair._

_"Maybe someday we can work together to be the best we can be." Phoenix concludes as he stares into her nearly identical cerulean eyes. The only difference is a small hazel splotch on the right side of her right iris._

* * *

I hope you enjoyed!! It will be slower in tbe beginning, but hopefully you still enjoy rhe adventure during the rising acton of the plot.

Shoutout to TigerCat111 who found my sequel in a sea of Pokefics and reviewed already!! Thanks!!

I'd love to hear from all of you!

Love, Alert, Review!! :)


	4. Promise

**Welcome back! **

I am so happy to share this with you today... it got a little long, but who's complaining? lol

* * *

**Part 4**

"So do you know what Pokemon you're going to use in your gym battle?" Austin asks as him and Phoenix approach a large building with a title hung on the side that says 'Pewter City Gym'. Little Pichu sits on Phoenix's shoulder, just enjoying the views. He never would have dared to be out in the open in a human city before, so he takes it in.

Phoenix stares up at the sign deep in concentration. He had many opportunities to watch Forrest battle when he had visited Pewter City in the past. His parents had left him with his Uncle Brock on many occasions and all Phoenix ever wanted to do was visit the gym and watch Brock's brother battle many different trainers. Phoenix is sure that he knows what it will take to bring Forrest down.

"I suppose it depends on what Pokemon Forrest uses." Phoenix says quietly, still trying to nail down his strategies.

"He used a Rhyhorn and a Geodude in my battle. I lost the first challenge. Then I caught Bellsprout and I nearly lost again!" Austin laughed, slightly embarrassed.

"Those are the Pokemon Forrest usually uses against trainers with no badges." Phoenix states knowingly. Then he scratches the side of his face and sighs, "I have a feeling he won't go so easy on me."

Austin looks over at his friend who is lost in contemplation. Pichu ruffles Phoenix's hair that sticks out from under his hat.

"Well, hey, we won't know until we go in!" Austin smiles and jabs Phoenix in the arm.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Phoenix's demeanor shifts back to his normal confident state, and he races forward into the gym.

As he enters through the automatic doors, Phoenix immediately rams into something that causes him to crash to the ground. Pichu nearly falls from his post on Phoenix's shoulder.

"Ouch," Phoenix squeaks as he registers what happened.

Before him, in an identical situation on the ground, is a slightly tanned blue-haired girl rubbing her back. She wears a pair of blue jeans and a light blue and white shirt. Her blue hair falls over her shoulders, a few strands fall over her face. Phoenix's eyes widen at the sight of her.

"What's the big hurry?" She grumbles softly and looks up to meet his gaze. Her jaw loosens and her lips part slightly when she sees the auburn haired teen. Their eyes lock on to each other.

Faster than he's ever moved, Phoenix is back on his feet and holding a hand out to her. His cerulean eyes don't leave her. She stares momentarily at his outstretched hand with her dark purple irises. Then, a small smile raises the corners of her lips and she accepts it gracefully. When they are both on their feet, their eyes connect once again and both struggle to find the right words.

"Hey," Phoenix breathes out softly. His gaze wanders curiously across her entire figure.

"Hi Phoen," she responds with a soft smile and a light blush as she watches his eyes unable to keep her stare.

"Uhh," Austin, who had been a bystander, interrupts, "Did I miss something?"

"Oh," Phoenix snaps out of his trance and smiles sheepishly, a blush forming on his own face.

"My name is Ferra Harrison," the girl holds her hand out to Austin who accepts it.

"Austin Hansen," Austin introduces himself exuding pure friendliness.

"And who is this little sweetie?" Ferra asks, looking up to greet Pichu.

"Pi Pichu!" Pichu waves at her sweetly.

"I just caught Pichu in the Viridian Forest." Phoenix tells her, his eyes shining brightly.

Ferra looks back to meet Phoenix's eyes, and she raises a hand to touch his arm.

She says to him softly, "it's been way too long."

"I know," Phoenix nods in agreement, a smile as wide as the horizon forms across his face.

"Do you know each other?" Austin asks, still confused.

"Just a little," Ferra responds, winking in Phoenix's way. He sends back a crooked smile.

"Well," Phoenix begins to explain, "our parents were best friends. We grew up together."

"Oh neat!" Austin says with a wide smile.

"I think we were thirteen the last time we saw each other," Ferra hums thoughtfully, her index finger grazing her lip. Phoenix's eyes follow the action.

"Yeah," Phoenix agrees, thinking back, "it was at your dad's fortieth birthday party."

"What a bore that party was!" Ferra laughs, "until we snuck out to the fossil museum."

Phoenix simply laughs along with Ferra. Austin stands off to the side scratching his head, just watching the scene unfold. I think I'm missing something. He thinks.

When Ferra's giggles fade she looks back at Phoenix, "I can only guess why you're here."

"Yeah," Phoenix grins and nods, "I started my journey a week ago. I'm here to face Forrest."

"I'll have you know, he already destroyed two beginner trainers this morning," Ferra warns him cheekily.

"Then he should be tired," Phoenix jokes lightly.

"Good point," Ferra agrees.

"So Phoenix, should we go find the gym leader?" Austin asks, trying to regain his friend's attention. The teen seems to be entranced by the newcomer.

"Yeah yeah," Phoenix agrees, but his eyes don't move from Ferra.

"Come on!" Ferra says, grabbing his hand and pulling him further into the gym.

Phoenix hurries along with her, his face bright red from the feeling of his hand in hers.

"Oh brother," Austin shakes his head, his green eyes rolling at his friend. He follows, nonetheless.

They enter the arena area where the lights are dimmed low.

"Uncle Forrest!" Ferra shouts, "I'm back! Well, I never really left. I have a challenger for you!"

The bright ceiling lights flicker on to reveal the rocky battlefield.

"Who's that?" a voice asks from the left side of the room.

A tan man with spiky brown hair appears on the battlefield. His eyes are so narrow that his dark pupils are barely visible. He is wearing only pants, showing off his large pectorals and biceps.

A grin forms on his face as he realizes who has arrived.

"Phoenix," he greets with a curt nod, "I've been expecting you."

"You have?" Phoenix asks, wondering how the news of his journey spread to Pewter so quickly.

"Professor Gary Oak called my brother and he let me know," Forrest informs them.

"You all knew Phoenix was coming?" Ferra shouts furiously, "and no one told me?"

Forrest looks at her questioning, but smiles when he sees her frustration, "we didn't realize it was that big of a deal to you."

"Well, it is!" She exclaims unabashedly, "Phoenix has been my best friend my whole life."

"I am?" Phoenix asks, pointing at himself.

She rolls her eyes at him, "duh, Phoen."

Phoenix laughs sheepishly, his hand nervously scratching his neck.

"I thought maybe you were mad at me for not keeping in touch better the last three years." Phoenix states his fears gently.

"Of course not," Ferra looks at him seriously, "I know that you had it hard. And I knew that eventually we'd reconnect."

"I always hoped so," Phoenix gently gazes at her hand in his, hardly believing they were still linked.

"Oh sorry," she mumbles when she catches him staring. She pulls her hand from the embrace of his.

"Well," Forrest says, interrupting them, "are you ready for your first gym battle?"

"You bet!" Phoenix finally snaps from his trance at the thought of a Pokemon battle.

"Go over to the challenger's box there." Forrest points to the lines on the floor.

"Got it!" Phoenix nods obediently. Before he jogs over to the box, he hands Pichu to Ferra and asks her to hold onto him.

Ferra and Austin move off the field and sit on the sidelines.

"I heard that you already beat two challengers today!" Phoenix shouts across the field. "Your Pokemon must be tired!"

"It's true. I guess I'll just have to use my other Pokemon." Forrest shrugs his shoulders.

"I thought that might be the case," Phoenix growls lightly to himself. He's in for a tougher battle than most beginners.

The referee takes his place in the ref box and holds up two flags.

"The battle will be two on two. Only the challenger may substitute their Pokemon. The first to have no remaining Pokemon loses!" he states. Then he holds up the flags and shouts, "begin!"

"Steelix, go!" Forrest shouts out and throws a ball forward.

On the gym leader's side, a large steel snake forms. Its jaws are half the size of the rest of its body.

Phoenix grits his teeth at the sight of the familiar beast.

"You know I won't go easy on you, right?" Forrest smirks at the teen. "I watched your father battle many times. If you're at all like him, then you'll manage."

"Alright, then," Phoenix grabs the first Pokeball off his belt and enlarges it, "go, Charvo!"

Charvo forms from a bright light. It shouts its name towards the sky and then takes a fighting stance.

"Charvo! Looking great!" Ferra compliments from her seat.

Charvo turns to look at where the familiar voice came from. At the sight of her, Charvo waves and cheers, "Char Char Charmeleon!"

"Good to see you too, Charvo!" Ferra waves back with a bright smile.

Charvo faces back towards Steelix and takes up his stance again.

"Alright, Charvo," Phoenix shouts to him, "we can do this! Start with a flamethrower!"

As Charvo's flames are about to reach Steelix, Forrest commands, "dig!"

Steelix disappears under the ground.

"Char?" Charvo questions, looking around for Steelix.

Phoenix growls as he tries to think of what to do. Dig would be a super effective hit.

"Dig!" Forrest shouts.

As Steelix is about to emerge, Phoenix has an idea, "Charvo, flamethrower at the ground!"

When Steelix makes contact with air, it is immediately hit with a close range flamethrower. Charvo clings to Steelix's head as it rises into the air.

"Fire spin!" Phoenix shouts.

Steelix's body is completely covered in a vortex of flames. It roars in agitation and pain. A burn begins to affect it.

"Slam!" Forrest commands, hoping to finish the battle quickly.

Steelix tries to slam Charvo into the ground.

"Run across it!" Phoenix orders Charvo.

Before Steelix slams into the ground, Charvo jumps up on its head and begins to run across its steely spine. Steelix hits the ground at full force, but Charvo jumps off from the back, unharmed.

"Iron tail!" Forrest shouts.

Charvo isn't fast enough this time and is rammed into a rock protruding from the battlefield.

"Char!" his breath is knocked out of him.

"Charvo! Are you alright?" Phoenix asks, worried about his friend.

"Char," Charvo slowly gets up and retakes his fighting stance.

"Alright," Phoenix moves his hat backwards to show how serious he is, "give it your best flamethrower!"

Charvo takes a deep breath and releases flames from its belly that move rapidly towards steelix.

"Dig!" Forrest orders again.

Steelix dives into the ground to avoid it.

"Flamethrower into the hole!" Phoenix commands.

Charvo runs to where Steelix left a huge hole and blasts his strongest flamethrower into it.

Seconds later, the ground opens up as Steelix, covered in flames, emerges and crashes to the battlefield.

"Steel," it mutters as it faints.

"No way!" Forrest shouts in disbelief.

"Yes!" Phoenix cheers with Charvo who jumps up in celebration.

"Go, Phoenix!" Ferra and Austin shout, "Go, Charvo!"

"Pichu Pichu!" Pichu cheers with them.

"Char, Charmeleon," Charvo grunts, feeling the toll of its injuries. But he doesn't back down.

"Alright," Forrest returns Steelix and grabs a new Pokeball, "come out, Graveller!"

It grunts its name and stands firmly.

"Charvo," Phoenix takes the first move, "flamethrower!"

Graveller doesn't move, it takes the flamethrower without flinching.

"Those flames won't do much against a rock/ground type!" Austin shouts from the sidelines.

However, Charmeleon already found his way close to Graveller and Phoenix shouts, "metal claw!"

Charvo's metal claw is a critical hit. Graveller reels back.

"It was a distraction!" Ferra says excitedly.

"Graveller," Forrest commands, "rock throw!"

Graveller stomps on the ground and the rocks from the battlefield rise from the ground and fly up towards Charvo.

When the rocks clear, Charvo is left passed out on the ground.

"Charvo!" Phoenix yells in surprise. It is the first battle that his fire lizard has lost.

"Charmeleon is unable to battle," the referee shouts, "both trainers are left with only one Pokemon each."

"You did a great job! I'm so proud!" Phoenix cheers, "return."

Phoenix holds Charvo's ball up to return him. Then he pauses to consider which Pokemon to use. Mankey or Oddish?

"Hmm," Phoenix fingers the Pokeballs, "alright, I choose Mankey!"

The little pig monkey appears on the battlefield waving her arms around and snorting.

"Not a bad choice," Forrest compliments, "but it doesn't always come down to super effective hits."

"I know that," Phoenix argues, "Mankey has a fighting spirit!"

"Mankey!" she screeches from the battlefield.

"I just hope that metal claw weakened it enough," Phoenix mutters to himself, not showing his lack of confidence. Charvo was his most trustworthy Pokemon and now he would have to place that trust in Mankey.

"Mankey," Phoenix shouts out, "quickly, use screech!"

Mankey obeys immediately and lets out an ear piercing screech that causes all people and Pokemon to cover their ears and shiver at the sound.

"Graveller," Forrest shouts after recovering, "rock throw!"

Rocks begin to raise from the ground again and fly towards Mankey.

"Mankey, jump from rock to rock to get closer!" Phoenix orders.

Mankey leaps up and dodges between the rocks soaring towards her. Her long legs help propel her from rock to rock.

"Now, karate chop!" Phoenix shouts.

"Graveller, bide!" Forrest orders quickly as Mankey closes in.

Graveller begins to glow in a reddish aura.

Phoenix grits his teeth at the sight. If Graveller's bide hits after a super effective karate chop, it will be over.

"Switch to a fury swipes attack, quickly!" Phoenix shouts the command, almost a little panicked.

Mankey is confused momentarily, but obeys nonetheless and scratches Graveller multiple times. It is not very effective because of the type disadvantage. Graveller's bide builds and it smacks Mankey away with its arm.

"Get back in and use low kick!" Phoenix orders quickly.

Mankey dashes back and lands a super-effective low kick on Graveller. Due to its sheer size, the damage done is immense and the large boulder Pokemon roars out in pain.

Forrest growls to himself, knowing that Phoenix caught on to his trick.

"Mankey one more karate chop!" Phoenix exclaims.

"Graveller, smack down!" Graveller's rocky arm swings up to knock Mankey out of the air.

Mankey hits the ground and bounces away.

"Graveller, rollout!" Forrest orders quickly.

"Get up, Mankey!" Phoenix orders, hopefully.

Mankey slow raises to her feet.

"Focus energy!" Phoenix calls out as the Graveller approaches.

Mankey takes a deep breath and does her best to focus as the beast rolls closer.

"Now, jump up and use karate chop!" Phoenix orders.

Mankey jumps up as Graveller approaches. She slams her flattened hand against Graveller perfectly; however, Graveller's momentum sends Mankey flying across the field. She drags across the ground and lays motionless.

Graveller slows down and its arms and legs loosen to reveal its face. It had been knocked out by Mankey's karate chop.

The referee watches the two Pokemon carefully. When neither make a move he raises his flags and says, "Neither Pokemon are able to continue the battle. The match is officially a tie."

Phoenix stares out at the battlefield where the two Pokemon remain after a double knockout.

Ferra, Austin, and Pichu watch quietly, surprised by the outcome.

"Graveller, return." Forrest says as he raises his Pokeball and returns it.

"Mankey?" Phoenix asks quietly as he runs to the pig monkey, "are you alright?"

Phoenix kneels next to Mankey and pulls her into his arms, "you were really brave."

She opens her eyes slowly and looks up at Phoenix, "Mankey?"

"I'm not mad at all. I am so proud!" Phoenix praises her efforts.

Mankey lets out a soft shrill of excitement.

"Have a good rest," Phoenix smiles at her and returns her to her Pokeball.

"Phoenix," Forrest approaches with a look of surprise, "that was an awesome battle."

"Thank you," Phoenix nods at the older man, "it was an honor to face such high level Pokemon."

"There was no way you should have been able to tie against Steelix and Graveller after a week of travelling." Forrest states, showing how impressed he is. "I guess your parents had a hand in that, eh?"

"I was born to be a master, sir," Phoenix states seriously, "it's in my blood."

"It certainly is," Forrest grins and nods at the teen, "and you've certainly earned this."

Forrest digs in his pocket and produces a shiny little badge, "the boulder badge."

"But we tied," Phoenix stares at the little item, unsure if he should take it or not.

"If I had used the Pokemon I use against new trainers then you would have won," Forrest explains, "and if you were a little more experienced you would have won against my stronger Pokemon."

"I don't know," Phoenix bites his lip in contemplation.

"Ultimately, it is up to a gym leader's discretion to give out their badges," Forrest tells him, "and I believe you earned it."

Phoenix hesitantly lifts his hand and takes the badge. He stares down at it in his hand and smiles widely at it.

"I won the boulder badge!" Phoenix shouts out in excitement. He grabs Charvo's Pokeball and release him. The fire lizard is still tired, but becomes excited at the sight of the badge.

Phoenix drops to his knees and embraces Charvo, "You are the best!"

"Pichu!" Pichu runs from the sidelines and climbs onto Phoenix's shoulders. He plays with Phoenix's hair in excitement.

"That was the coolest battle I've ever seen!" Austin exclaims running up to them, "I knew travelling with you would be the greatest adventure ever!"

Ferra who approaches as well says, "I haven't seen an underdog pulls through like that since I watched those clips of your dad participating in league battles as a teenager."

"She's right," Forrest smiles softly at the teen, "your father managed to pull through all the time when the odds were stacked against him. Looks like you have his creativity when it comes to battling."

"You really think so?" Phoenix asks, something warm heating up in his chest.

There was a part of him that was doubtful. A part of him that believed that he couldn't do it without his father cheering him on; without his mother hugging him in congratulation. However, it is at this moment, this important victory, that Phoenix realizes that the very building blocks that made Ash and Misty Ketchum created him as well. His blood is their blood. He would make them proud.

"I have no doubt," Forrest grins down at the teen.

"That means a lot," Phoenix smiles humbly.

"Hey," Ferra rubs his arm, "there's someone back home who's been waiting to see you for a long time."

Phoenix's ears perk up at the thought and he suddenly feels nervous.

"Do you think he'll forgive me for not coming sooner?" Phoenix asks quietly.

"Phoen, no one is mad at you." Ferra insists, "I just know he misses you."

Phoenix doesn't say anything and just nods in response.

"Come on," Ferra grabs his arm and begins to pull him to the exit of the gym. Austin follows behind, unsure about what's happening, but content to be a part of it.

"Come back around sometime, Phoenix," Forrest waves at the group that is quickly disappearing. He hears a faint chorus of 'bye!' and chuckles to himself.

After stopping at the Pewter City Pokemon Center to drop off Charvo and Mankey, the group continues further until they reach a neighborhood on the edge of town. The neighborhood is fairly new, having been built around the time the older two were born.

"It's been so long," Phoenix says quietly looking around at the neighborhood, "remember when we used to play together at that park?"

"Of course," Ferra laughs, "our parents always brought us there when you came into town."

"This is it, right?" Phoenix asks, looking up at one of the houses. It is white with blue shutters and doesn't look much different than the rest of the houses on the block.

"Yep," she confirms, "come on, guys."

Phoenix and Austin follow her up the steps to the front door. She unlocks it with her key and invites them in.

"Mom is working the shop today, but dad should be home." She says while looking around.

They enter into a living area, but the kitchen is visible across the room.

"Dad!" Ferra shouts through the house.

"No need to shout," a tan, spiky haired man appears in the kitchen. He looks almost identical to Forrest except this man wears a shirt and sports a short beard.

"Uncle Brock," Phoenix says with a smile and a wave.

Brock stops what he's doing in the kitchen to look up at Ferra's guests. He grins at the sight of the familiar teen.

"Phoenix," he smiles warmly, "We've been waiting for you to come around."

"I know," Phoenix frowns slightly, "I'm sorry."

"What?" Brocks says while he comes closer to Phoenix, "no need to be sorry. We're just happy to see you!"

"I'm really happy to see you too," Phoenix tells him sincerely.

"Oh," Ferra stops, "I forgot. This is Austin. He's travelling with Phoenix."

"Welcome, Austin," Brock greets him, "I'm-"

"Brock Harrison," Austin finishes for him, "Pokemon Breeder, Doctor extraordinaire. Also, former gym leader and Ash Ketchum's former travelling companion."

"Alright," Brock laughs, "I see no introductions needed."

"Sorry," Austin chirps quietly, "I am a huge Ash Ketchum fan and I know about everyone who he was ever friends with."

"I see," Brock shakes his head with a smile, "will you two be staying for dinner?"

"Yes," Ferra answers for them and assures them, "dad is an amazing cook."

"I remember!" Phoenix exclaims in excitement, "it's been a week since I've had a home cooked meal."

"Before dinner," Brock begins again, "there is someone who wants to see you."

Brock pulls a necklace out from under his shirt, a gold luxury ball hangs on it.

"He spends way too much time in his Luxury Ball these days," Brock sighs as he enlarges the ball and hands it to Phoenix.

Phoenix looks at the ball and can't help but grin, "come out, Raichu."

Before them, a deep orange, black, and white mouse appears. His chubby yellow cheeks twitch as he stretches them.

"Chaaa," he yawns and looks up at the guests.

When he notices a man wearing the Official Pokemon League hat his eyes open wide. The smell is so similar that he has to ask, "Raichurai?"

"Raichu," Pheonix kneels down in front of him, "It's me. Phoenix."

"Rairaichu?" Raichu asks with a grin.

"It's so good to see you, buddy," Phoenix reaches out and embraces the large orange mouse.

"Who's this fellow?" Austin asks, being the only one left in the dark once again.

"This is my father's Raichu," Phoenix explains, looking the mouse over. He's a bit more out of shape than he's seen him in the past.

"No way," Austin says, confused, "your father's Raichu was blue though, after that whole bond phenomenon/mega evolution thing that happened."

"After Ash passed away," Brock explains, saddened by the topic, "the bond phenomenon broke. He's a normal Raichu now. Albeit, still a champion."

"Raichu," Raichu's entire demeanor shift to grief at the mention of his late master.

"Sorry," Brock says, "I know you're still sensitive about it, Raichu."

"Pichu!" the smaller mouse squeals from Ferra's shoulder.

Raichu looks up at him and smiles at the young pre-evolved Pokemon.

"Rai Rai!" He greets.

Pichu scurries down and stands in front of Raichu. The tip of his ears reach only to Raichu's chin. Raichu moves his wiry tail around his body and sticks it out forward to greet Pichu. Pichu turns his body slightly to reach his own tail forward to meet Raichu's.

"That's so sweet," Ferra coos at the sight of the new friendship.

"I caught him because he reminded me of you, Raichu," Phoenix states with a smile.

"Rai chu chu rai!" Raichu smiles down at the small mouse.

"Why does Raichu live here?" Austin asks suddenly, "why doesn't he live with the rest of Ash's Pokemon?"

Brock shifts uncomfortably and Phoenix frowns.

"I'm sorry," Austin says, noticing the staleness in the air, "you don't have to answer that."

"No, it's alright," Brock assures him, "Raichu blames himself for what happened."

"What do you mean?" Austin asks.

"He thinks he could have saved them." Phoenix says with an air of sadness, "but he could only save me."

"And since then, he hasn't wanted to be around the other Pokemon or Ash's mother," Brock finishes, "but I tell him all the time that no one blames him."

"He's right, Raichu," Phoenix tries to reassure him, "everyone back home misses you. Especially gran."

Raichu doesn't respond, he just moves to sit on the couch nearby and sighs.

"I hope someday you come home, buddy," Phoenix sighs and sits next to him.

"Alright, I'm going to get dinner ready," Brock changes the subject while he walks back to the kitchen, "you guys just relax and catch up."

"Raichu, I have to tell you about my battle against Forrest today!" Phoenix exclaims in excitement.

"Rai rai!" he encourages him.

"I need to go upstairs for a bit," Ferra says suddenly, "will you be alright here, guys?"

"Definitely," Phoenix assures her while Austin just nods.

"Great!" Ferra says as she bounds up the stairs.

An hour later, the house smells of the delicious roast cooking in the oven. Brock prepares the table with his wife Suzy who had arrived home a few minutes earlier. Phoenix and Austin sit in the living room watching the tenth round of the Sinnoh Pokemon League that is happening across the ocean.

"Dinner's nearly ready," Brock announces as he fills the glasses with water, "Phoenix, could you go get Ferra?"

"What?" Phoenix asks absentmindedly. It processes slowly, but he responds, "oh, yeah, of course."

"Do you remember which is her bedroom?" Suzy asks.

"Yep," Phoenix nods, "third on the right."

Still watching the television, Phoenix begins to walk up the stairs. It's difficult to turn away from the battles occurring across the world until the last second. When he reaches the end of the hallway, he comes to a door that is decorated in a light blue color. Her name is written in a curvy gold script.

He knocks softly and says, "your dad says dinner is ready."

"Come in," he hears muffled from the other side.

Phoenix slowly opens the blue door and peers inside. The room looks entirely different than it had the last time he had been inside. Before, nearly five years ago, the walls had been pink and purple. There had been a bunk bed covered in Pokemon toys, a toy chest, and a huge play castle. Now the walls are a light blue. There is a full size bed sitting in the corner with a gray rug covering the laminate wood flooring. There is a desk where a laptop sits and dressers that overflow with feminine clothing. He blushes when he spots a frilly pair of purple unmentionables hanging on the knob.

"I need help getting something from my closet," Ferra interrupts his guilty thoughts.

"Oh sure," his eyes snap back to her and away from the distracting piece of fabric. _What is my problem? _He questions himself. However, Phoenix is not quite as dense nor as unintelligent when it comes to matters of the heart as his father was when he was a teen. It was a side of himself that he inherited from his mother who always had a habit of romanticizing things.

"Up at the top there," Ferra points up to the corner of her closet, "that box."

"No problem," Phoenix says as he stretches as high as he can reach and pulls the box off the top shelf, "it's pretty light. What is it?"

"My sleeping bag," she says simply, taking a seat on her bed.

"Are you going camping?" He asks curiously, setting the box on the floor.

"Yes," she states slowly, eyeing him, "with you."

"What?" He asks, confused by her short response.

Ferra motions for him to sit by her. He complies and gently sits on the cushy bed facing her. His teenage hormones scream at the fact.

"We always talked about going on our Pokemon journey together." She speaks quietly as she stares down at her hands, "when I turned ten I couldn't leave home. We promised we would go on the adventure of a lifetime together, and it didn't feel right going on that adventure without you. So I've been waiting for you."

Phoenix watches her in awe. He had let her down on his end of their promise, but she was here still upholding it. His eyes flicker down to her hands that nervously rub against each other. Then he feels bold and reaches a hand to cover hers. His cheeks flush lightly and he smiles at her.

"I couldn't have asked for a better best friend." Phoenix tells her sweetly.

"Me neither," she responds, reflecting his blush with a light one of her own.

As she stares at him, she can't help but notice how close he sits to her. His chest is twisted to face her fully. His left hand rests on her bed a few inches from her backside while his right hand extends over his body to hold onto her hands which rest on her lap.

"Phoen," she whispers, trying to catch his eyes, "I really did miss you."

"I really missed you too, Ferra," Phoenix says softly, meeting her gaze, "I think we're in for a grand adventure most definitely."

"Hey guys, your dad told me to-" Austin interrupts, but stops when he spots the two of them facing each other on the bed. "Ah come on, Phoenix, we have Pokemon to train!"

"Shut up Austin," Phoenix growls as he stands up straight.

"I'll be ready to go by morning. I just have a few things to pack still." Ferra grins at Pheonix as he walks to her door. His bright smile radiates back.

"Go where?" Austin asks skeptically, having a feeling he knows where it's going and he doesn't like it.

"Austin, she's-" Phoenix begins to explain, but Austin cuts him.

"Coming with us," Austin finishes with a sigh, "I saw that coming."

"It'll be fun," Phoenix assures him, "Ferra is the best."

"You two better keep it PG though," Austin mutters as he leaves the room.

Phoenix just blushes and rubs his neck at Austin's accusation, and then says softly, "I'll see you downstairs for dinner, Ferra."

"Okay," she whispers as he goes.

Phoenix trots down the stairs and jumps off the last step. He has always held a special place in his heart for the blue haired girl, but he never expected his feelings to barrel over him quite so intensely. As a thirteen-year-old he thought she was cute. It was a mere crush, like a dimly lit torch. However, now he could feel the fire burning. Her gaze upon him makes him feel as if a wave crashed across his chest. He knows that it's love. Having lost so much, Phoenix had years to dwell on love and family. He knew what it felt like when love was taken away; therefore he was bold to believe that he knew when it was present. And it was present alright.

"Hey Phoenix," Brock interrupts his thoughts.

Phoenix blushes, realizing that the intense feelings of love were directed towards the man's daughter.

"Yes, Uncle Brock?" Phoenix asks, as innocently as he can muster.

"I have two favors to ask of you," Brock begins with a fatherly smile warming his features.

"Anything," Phoenix assures him.

"First off, take care of Ferra," Brock pats Phoenix on the shoulder and gives him a knowing look, "she's been waiting for this for a long time. Even when her little brothers turned ten and left to become trainers, she stayed behind. I know she is planning to go with you."

"Of course, Uncle Brock," Phoenix nods seriously, "I'd protect her with my life."

"I know, Phoenix," Brock grins, "you're a good man… Like your father."

Phoenix smiles brightly in response and continues, "and the second favor?"

"Oh right," Brock nods. He reaches up to his neckline and pulls the luxury ball necklace over his head. He says, "take Raichu with you."

"What?" Phoenix asks, staring at the gold ball. Carved in the fancy script is a phrase that simply states 'Ash's Raichu'.

"Please," Brock holds it out to Phoenix, "Raichu has been cooped up here too long. He barely gets of the house let alone this damn ball. I can't give him the life he deserves. Plus I truly believe that your father would have wanted you two to be together anyway."

Phoenix extends his hand to grasp the ball. He looks over it thoughtfully. The words etched into it speak to him. This Pokemon could never really fully be his. Raichu's master is gone. Phoenix's father is gone. Ash Ketchum is gone. But maybe they could find Ash in each other.

This really would be an adventure of a lifetime.

* * *

_"What do you want to be when you grow up?"_

_The question is one that nine-year-old Ferra never really put much thought into._

_"I don't know," Ferra shrugs her shoulders against the ground._

_"How do you not know?" Her friend asks laying next to her on the damp long grass asks._

_"Phoenix, you never even had a chance to think about what you wanted to be. Your parents are both elite trainers." Ferra rolls her eyes at how dense he could be._

_"What do you mean?" He asks, rolling over onto his side to look at her._

_"I mean that you want to be a Pokemon master because your parents are masters." She states as if it should be obvious._

_"I guess," Phoenix shrugs carelessly._

_"I don't know what I want to be," she begins to explain, "because my dad is a doctor and my mom is a breeder. My dad used to be a gym leader and that still runs in my family."_

_"But isn't there something that you just feel like you were born to be?" Phoenix asks, feeling a little confused by her._

_Ferra turns her body towards him. She grins a lopsided, toothy grin. She is currently missing her left incisor._

_"What?" Phoenix asks, cracking a smile at her kooky face._

_"I was born to be your friend, Phoenix Ketchum," she giggles, but keeps his gaze, "and everything else will fall into place."_

_"Is that so?" Phoenix giggles boyishly across from her._

_"Most definitely!" She catches her breath and the two relish in the beautiful silence that exists between them. Nothing more need be said. They were a team. Friends for life._

_"Well we'll figure it out for you together, Ferra. We'll travel the world next year and discover your true calling!" Phoenix exclaims, thinking forward to his upcoming journey._

_"You mean it? Ferra asks, eyes sparkling with joy, "we can go together?"_

_"I guess I always just though we would!" Phoenix laughs jovially._

_"Promise?" Ferra asks, holding out a pinky finger._

_Phoenix extends his hand and locks his pinky with hers, "promise!"_

_"Phoenix! Ferra! Come in!" They could hear Phoenix's dad calling them._

_The pair scramble to pick themselves off the ground and then race back to the house, gigglish as children do._

_When they arrive back at the house, Ash looks at the two suspiciously. Then he says, "Phoenix can I talk to you for a minute?"_

_"Yeah, dad?" He asks while watching Ferra enter the house without him_

_Ash motions for him to join on the bench._

_"Son, I've noticed that you and Ferra spend a lot of time together." He says softly, trying not to freak his son out._

_"Of course, dad," Phoenix says, rolling his eyes._

_"I don't want to make assumptions, but sometimes fathers need to tell these things to their sons. It's something my father never got around to tell me." Ash goes on to explain, "someday, you're going to like a girl."_

_"I already like a girl. I like Ferra." Phoenix states, showing his sweet, boyish naivety._

_"I know you like Ferra, Phoenix. But I mean, more like, you're going to love a girl." Ash struggles to find the right words._

_"What?" Phoenix asks, bewildered by the thought._

_"Maybe not now. Maybe not even by the time you're twenty. But someday, you're going to love a girl." Ash assures him, somewhat bashfully._

_"Where is this going, dad? Because I already know how babies are made. and that was gross enough." Phoenix mutters, gritting his teeth._

_"Nope! Not going there tonight, bud." Ash chuckles awkwardly. "Look, when I was a kid I didn't know what to do when I had a crush, so I picked on her. Now, you know that your mom is one person you do not cross, but I used to do it all the time. Like it was a hobby to me."_

_"So I'm supposed to pick on girls that I like?" Phoenix asks, highly confused._

_Ash face palms because his point is obviously getting lost._

_"No, my point is that when you like a girl you should do the opposite of what I did and show her. Do nice things for her. Tell her she's beautiful. Open doors, pull out chairs, pay for dinner. Just do anything you can do that clearly says that you like her. Tell her! No mixed signals. Be clear. Trust me, you both will appreciate in the long run." Ash breathes, finally nailing his point._

_"I see." Phoenix nods slowly._

_"I'm not saying you should love any girls that way now, but I wanted you to understand that in case you meet a girl someday on your journeys that you really like." Ash puts an arm around his son's shoulder and pats it._

_"I don't think I'll have to worry about that for a long long time!" Phoenix grins up at his father._

_"I hope not, buddy." Ash chuckles lightly._

_"Can I go play with Ferra now?" Phoenix asks, looking back to the door where his friend entered just minutes before._

_"Of course," Ash tells him. They both stand up together_

_Phoenix races in shouting, "Ferra! Let's start planning our journey!"_

_Ash follows slowly. He finds Misty in the kitchen cleaning up dinner. Then he grabs her waist from behind and kisses the back of her neck._

_"How was your little talk with Phoenix?" She asks through a shiver._

_"Brock's gonna be so pissed the day he tells Ferra he loves her. Easiest $50 I'll ever make."_

* * *

I am a sucker for romance. Like I was totally going to wait a while before Phoenix and Ferra started to have feelings for each other, but I think their feelings will add to the story rather than take. Plus I like to make Austin squirm uncomfortably! hehe

Just so you know, there will be longer and more meaningful Ash and Misty parts in the future. Right now we're setting up the main story with Phoenix which involves him reflecting on his late parents

I hope you enjoyed!

Love, Alert, Review!


	5. Prophecy

**Welcome back! **

I hope you have had a Merry Christmas! I've had a busy few weeks, but I'm excited to get this chapter out to you! I hope you enjoy!

Author's note: I am not going to show every moment with Phoenix, Ferra, and Austin training their Pokemon. It wouldn't flow if I wrote about every little battle. So just imagine that between chapters they are training and battling other trainers. Some Pokemon might even evolve between chapters. I will try to update you on what Pokemon they have though. Phoenix, unlike Ash, will rotate his Pokemon, so he's working with more than six regulars. I won't explain every switch he makes, but I will make sure he only uses six Pokemon (plus Raichu) between Pokemon Centers.

* * *

**Part 5**

After a wonderful dinner and a good night's sleep at the Harrison household, Phoenix, Ferra, and Austin left Pewter City and started east en route to Cerulean City. They moved quickly through Route 3, pausing only momentarily for Phoenix to capture a Sandshrew that was rolling through the grassy area. Additionally, Ferra revealed that she owns two Pokemon: an Alolan Vulpix bred from her parents' Kanto Ninetales and their acquired Alolan Ninetales as well as a Cubone that she caught while visiting the Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town.

It was just beginning to become dark again when they reached the quaint little Pokemon Center that is nestled just a few hundred feet from the main entrance to Mt. Moon.

Phoenix and Ferra sit outside on logs surrounding a blazing fire out the back doors of the Pokemon center. Austin had opted to rest in their room for a bit which allowed the two to talk openly with one another.

"Do you think bringing Raichu with us was the best choice for him?" Phoenix asks suddenly, breaking their comfortable silence.

Ferra drags her eyes away from the swirling fire and looks over at him.

"It doesn't matter what I think." She states simply, moving to pick up a stick off the ground. She pokes at the fire with it.

"Ferra," Phoenix addresses her sharply, "of course it matters what you think. You've known him your whole life too, and I'm sure you have spent a lot of time with him over the last few years he's lived with you."

Ferra looks back towards him and searches his cerulean eyes.

"I think you should release him from the ball and talk to him about it." She shares her opinion.

Phoenix looks down at the gold ball and fingers it gently.

"I'm afraid he'll be mad." He reveals.

"Only one way to find out." Ferra smiles reassuringly at him.

Unable to respond differently to the teen girl's bright smile, Phoenix reflects a grin of his own.

"You're right," he says, "you're always right."

Ferra rolls her eyes playfully.

"Okay, Raichu," Phoenix holds up the ball, "come on out, buddy."

The Luxury ball emits a bright red light from which the large orange and black rodent appears. He appears less than amused and slightly irritated.

"Did we wake you up?" Ferra asks quietly.

"CHAAAAAA," Raichu releases a loud yawn. He then looks around his surroundings and becomes confused. He looks up at Phoenix and questions, "Rairaichu?"

"Hey Raichu," Phoenix says nervously, "I was thinking that it would be really great if you came along with me for a little while. You know, you could see the world again and help us train."

Raichu turns his face away to hide a slight scowl from the duo and looks out into the night. He believes his eternal penance for not saving his master should be living the same boring life he's lived for the last seven years and dying alone. There should be no travelling in his future because there would be no travelling in Pikapi's future. Pikapi was his partner, how could he replace him? Could he really travel the world with another human? Even if he's the son of Pikapi and Pikachupi?

Yet the allure of the open road is hard to resist to the champion, a Pokemon who had been to the ends of the earth and back. His ears twitch as he listens to the sounds produced by nature. It has been a long time since Raichu left Pewter or even seen a grassy area. Maybe Pikapi would want him to be with Rairaichu.

No, Pikapi would definitely want him to be with Rairaichu. His Pikapi was compassionate and strong. He would not harbor a grudge; he would be grateful to Raichu for saving Rairaichu. Pikapi would want Raichu to take care of Rairaichu.

"Raichu chu," He whispers quietly to himself, the debate raging inside of his soul.

"I want you to come with us," Phoenix pushes through Raichu's thoughts and kneels next to him, "my dad would want you to come with us."

Raichu looks up at him, eyes sparkling in the light of the fire. He would take a new partner, believing that it would be Pikapi's wish.

Phoenix holds out his hand and Raichu grips it tightly in agreement and nods.

"The only thing is that you're technically my seventh Pokemon and you don't officially belong to me. I can't use you in official battles like gyms, leagues, or tournaments. The rules say that a champion Pokemon can only compete with their original trainers. It is a league rule because of situations like this, so that the child of a champion doesn't have an unfair advantage. Professor Oak is processing paperwork for us so that I can have six of my own Pokemon plus you."

Raichu nods in understanding. His champion days may be over, but at least he can travel the world once again.

"But you could sure help us beat Team Rocket's ass if we run into them!" Ferra giggles.

"Raichu!" He allows electricity to crackle from his cheeks at the thought of the criminal organization.

At that moment, Nurse Joy sticks her head through the door and sings, "Curfew, children!"

"Okay!" Phoenix and Ferra chirp together.

The three giggle together as they head into the center to find their rooms.

Luckily, they were able to get two rooms, so Phoenix would share his room with Austin while Ferra had her own.

"Good night, Ferra," Phoenix smiles at her warmly.

"Good night, Phoenix," she says as she rests her hand on his arm.

He watches the motion, which causes Ferra to pull back and murmur an apology.

"No," he assures her, "it's alright."

Then he pulls her against himself and hugs her tightly.

"I am so glad you're coming with us, Ferra." He grins as they pull apart. Her cheeks appear to be a light rosy pink in the dimly lit hallway.

"Me too, Phoen," she smiles as she slips into her room.

He grins at the door momentarily before turning down the hallway to find his own room.

* * *

In the morning, the group met up in the lobby of the Pokemon Center. There they purchased a light breakfast of granola bars and fruit as well as some extra supplies for their journey through Mt. Moon.

"Why do we have to go through Mt. Moon? Can't we just go around it?" Austin asks nervously.

"And miss all the Pokemon in the cave? No way!" Phoenix exclaims eagerly.

"I just don't like dark, damp caves," Austin shivers at the thought.

"You're so dramatic," Ferra pokes at the boy.

"Everyone has something they don't like and caves are mine!" Austin states without shame.

"That's fine, Austin," Phoenix shrugs his shoulders, "you can go around Mt. Moon and we'll meet you in Cerulean City."

"No way!" Austin nearly shouts, "if you think I'm going to miss a minute of your adventure, you're dead wrong!"

"Then, you'll come through the cave with us?" Ferra asks, unamused.

Austin nearly face plants at the conclusion, but nods unhappily.

"Alright then! Let's go!" Phoenix stands up and marches determinedly towards the doors and out into Route 3. He leaves his friends behind to finish their breakfasts.

"And what are your plans for the environmental act that you would enact if you are elected as one of Kanto's representatives?"

Phoenix is confused when he sees a large van and a news crew near the entrance of Mt. Moon. It appears they are in the middle of an interview. In front of the camera stands a tall dark haired man. His hair is short, yet long enough to spike up stylishly. He is fairly young, maybe thirty, and dressed in a gray suit and decorated with a red tie. The woman next to him wears a purple suit and holds a microphone.

"The environmental act would make sure that our national parks such as Mt. Moon national park would be taken care of and protected for many years to come. It would limit the foot traffic and prohibit pollution from wrappers to carbon dioxide." The dark haired man states with a grand smile.

"There you have it, folks," the woman conducting the interview begins to wrap it up, "this has been an exclusive interview with Grant Roque, a nominee for a representative seat."

Suddenly there's a blast from inside the cave. The group moves away from the entrance, but continues to film the cave entrance. Movement is seen through the billowing smoke.

"Why it's our lucky day," two men stroll out of the cave dressed in completely black outfits with red 'R's plastered on the front, "we've got a message to share with your viewers."

"Team Rocket," the man in a suit states calmly, "please go about your own business. We want no trouble here."

"Not until you air our message." the Rocket says.

"Never," the man in the suit spits.

"Then you'll have to battle us," the Rocket continues with an evil smirk, "unless you have no Pokemon."

There is a chilling silence among the group.

"I don't have any Pokemon on me," the man sighs in defeat, "Madison, continue to roll the cameras."

"But sir," the woman tries to insist.

"No, Madison," the man in the suit says, "I don't want anyone to be hurt."

"Sounds like the wise choice," the other Rocket booms in a loud voice.

"Wait!" Phoenix finds himself suddenly involved at the hands of his own voice, "I'll battle them."

"Sorry, punk," the first Rocket says, "we only deal with grown ups."

The comment causes Phoenix to boil.

"What's going on Phoenix? We heard an explosion," Ferra says appearing next to him with Austin.

"Well I usually only deal with decent human beings, but sometimes I'm stuck beating up Team Rocket members." Phoenix sneers back at the Rockets, leaving Ferra unanswered.

"Fine, kid," the Rocket member growls, unable to resist the taunt, "but it's your funeral."

Both Rocket Members pull out Pokeballs and launch them across the rocky turf.

A large, green mantis Pokemon appears and screeches, "Scyther!"

Next to it appears a humanoid Pokemon wearing large boxing gloves. It punches the air and grunts, "hit hit chan."

"Alright, time for some real power," Phoenix smirks as he pulls out the golden ball from around his neck. He clicks the button and Raichu materializes in front of him.

"Your time to shine, Raichu!" Ferra shouts encouragingly.

"Raichu," Raichu's eyes narrow at the sight of Team Rocket members. Sparks form from the electric sacks on his cheeks.

"Back him up, Fletchling!" Phoenix calls his little bird Pokemon.

"Fletch!" he emerges and flares his wings.

"Piece of cake," the first Rocket grunts.

Phoenix can't help but smirk at the fact that the Rockets do not know who they happen to be.

"Scyther, fury swipes at that Raichu!" The first Rocket calls.

"Raichu, double team!" Phoenix commands.

Scyther tries to hit Raichu with fury swipes, but is unable to locate the correct copy.

"Hitmonchan, mega punch that little pipsqueak bird," the second Rocket calls.

"Fletchling, agility!" Phoenix calls.

Fletchling starts to fly and increases his speed. He zooms around Hitmonchan as it flails around trying to knock Fletchling out of the air.

"Raichu thunderbolt! Fletchling tackle!" Phoenix orders both Pokemon.

Raichu's thunderbolt immediately causes Scyther to drop to the ground defeated. The Rocket member reluctantly returns the battered bug.

Fletchling swoops in to tackle Hitmonchan, but Hitmonchan smacks him away. Fletchling falls to the ground. He looks discouraged and ready to give up.

Raichu stands off to the side allowing the little bird to gain his experience, but ready to join again if needed.

"You can do this Fletchling!" Phoenix cheers him on, "go on in for another tackle!"

"Fletchling!" he pulls himself up at his trainer's encouragement, and he uses his agility to beeline straight towards Hitmonchan.

As he is speeding towards Hitmonchan, Fletchling is suddenly engulfed in a roaring flame that covers his entire body, shielding it from view.

Hitmonchan watches in wonder and confusion as the ball of fire rams into him at a lightning speed. Hitmonchan is knocked to the ground. The fire around the bird disperses to reveal the newly evolved Fletchinder stretching his wings.

"Alright! Fletchinder!" Phoenix woops at the sight of the slightly larger evolved Pokemon.

"Fletch!" he screeches.

"Hitmonchan," the punchy Pokemon pulls himself to its feet and prepares to continue the fight.

"Fletchinder, use wing attack!" Phoenix calls out. The bird zooms through the air and slams its wing into the fighting type.

"That's a super-effective hit!" Austin exclaims, "Flying types are good against fighting types."

"Hitmonchan, mega punch again!" the Rocket commands.

Hitmonchan obeys, but is unable to land the hit. Fletchinder is much too quick.

"Finish it with a flame charge!" Phoenix orders. Fletchinder speeds towards Hitmonchan and catches on fire once again. Then he slams his entire body into Hitmonchan, knocking it backwards onto the ground.

Hitmonchan is effectively knocked out and the Rocket member returns it while grumbling.

"You might have won this time, but Team Rocket will have the last word." the first Rocket member yells as the two barrel back into Mt. Moon and run away.

"This has been a Team Rocket exclusive! After an intense battle, I stand here with our saving grace. What is your name, young man?" the news reporter asks, sticking a microphone in Phoenix's face.

"Oh, I um-" he starts, fumbling over his words, "My name is Phoenix."

"Where are you from, Phoenix?" she asks curiously.

"I'm from Pallet Town." He tells the camera cautiously.

"We're quite far from Pallet. What brings you out to Mt. Moon today, Phoenix?" she continues.

"I just started my Pokemon journey a few weeks ago and we just left Pewter City yesterday." Phoenix shares.

"Just started?" the woman asks suspiciously. "The way you handled your Pokemon in that battle make that hard to believe."

"Well," Phoenix struggles to explain, "I have been training at home for a few years before my journey."

"So is that Raichu your starter Pokemon?" she asks, looking over to the orange rodent.

Phoenix scratches the back of his neck nervously, "no, actually, Raichu was my dad's starter Pokemon."

"I thought there was something familiar about you!" the reporter screeches suddenly.

Phoenix stiffens at her sudden declaration.

"You're Phoenix Ketchum, isn't that right?" she questions, motioning to the cameras to come closer, "Phoenix Ketchum, the son of the late Champion Ash Ketchum and the elite member Misty Ketchum. That's you isn't it? You look like them! That's your father's Raichu, right?"

Phoenix mumbles to himself as a blush forms across his cheeks, "yes."

"It is an honor to be interviewing you right now!" she continues. Then she points toward Austin and Ferra and says, "are those your friends?"

"Yes, that's Austin and then Ferra, my best friend." He nods in confirmation.

"Fantastic," she squeals and turns back to the cameras, "about thirty years after our late champion began his fateful journey, we stand with his son, Phoenix, who is following in his footsteps. Just as Ash Ketchum had, Phoenix wears a blue training outfit and an original Pokemon League official cap. He travels with his friends and he even has with him his father's trusty Raichu. We'll do our best to keep you informed about Mr. Ketchum's future whereabouts and happenings. This has been a crazy KA35 exclusive. Join us tomorrow for a new adventure."

"That's a wrap!" the man holding the camera announces.

"What just happened?" Phoenix asks, still shaken up over the sudden ambush interview.

"Kid," the reporter smiles at him, "you're going to be a star."

"What?" he asks, still confused.

"People will pay good money to see what you're up to every once in a while." she tells him. Then she looks over to the cameraman and says, "get the kid a check for two hundred and have him sign the release for the interview."

"That was quite an impressive battle," the man in the suit speaks after being a bystander to the entire battle.

"Thank you, sir," Phoenix nods, "I saw you on the television a lot when my gran watched the recent debates."

"Oh no, please call me Grant," the man insists with another grand smile.

Phoenix nods in response.

"I am mighty impressed with your battling skills Phoenix," he continues, "I hope we have another encounter soon."

Grant holds out a hand for Phoenix to shake.

"Thank you, Grant," Phoenix says while accepting the handshake.

"It is good to meet the both of you as well, Ferra and Austin," Grant nods to both of them.

They smile back and nod.

"Madison," Grant redirects his attention to the reporter who is busy packing up the van with the cameraman, "are we ready to go back to Pewter?"

"Yes, sir," she responds while approaching the group again, "just go ahead and hop in the van while I talk with Phoenix momentarily."

"Right," Grant nods at the group and then walks away to climb into the van, "goodbye, Phoenix, Ferra, and Austin."

"Alright, this is the disclosure form that allows us to use the interview in anyway except to slander you. Because it was aired live, it is already out there, so I suggest that you might as well take the money and sign the form." The reporter informs him.

"Alright," Phoenix mumbles as he takes the pen from her and signs the form. Then he accepts the check written out to him for two hundred dollars.

"And, this is our card," the cameraman holds out a business card, "if there's anything you want to update the media about, please call us first."

"People will eat up anything about you. If you even change your shoes, they will want to know. It will be crazy. Just call us up if there's anything at all!" the reporter continues.

"Sure," Phoenix says uncertainly.

"We've got to hit the road and get Mr. Roque back to Pewter," the cameraman says, "see you next time!"

"Please give us a call!" the reporters says, "bye now!"

They jump into the van and take off west towards Pewter City, leaving the three standing there recovering after the whirlwind situation.

"That was something," Phoenix states, holding his chin lightly.

"Raichu!" the large mouse exclaims, his ears twitching, searching for a sound. Suddenly, he bounds off into Mt. Moon's entrance.

"What's going on, Raichu?" Phoenix calls as he begins to chase Raichu, Fletchinder following behind them.

"Wait! Phoenix!" Ferra shouts after them, "we need to grab our backpacks still!"

"Quick, let's get them and follow!" Austin urges, and the two run back to the Pokemon Center quickly to find their backpacks in the lobby.

Phoenix chases blindly after Raichu. They turn off an unlit path and dash through the dark cave. Luckily, Raichu's tail glows just enough in the dim light for Phoenix to keep up.

"Rai rai rai," Raichu pants as it races forward.

"Where are you going?" Phoenix asks breathily.

Suddenly the ground shakes and groans. The rocks beneath them give way. Phoenix finds himself sliding down a rocky wall and straight to the ground next to Raichu.

"Ouch," he groans as he rubs his hip. In this new cave, it is completely pitch black.

"Chu Raichu," Raichu says through the darkness.

"Fletchinder!" the bird calls from above.

"Let Ferra and Austin know we're alright," Phoenix calls up to Fletchinder, "we'll try to make it back up there somehow!"

"Fletch!" he agrees and flies away.

"Alright," Phoenix says while pulling the first ball off his belt, "help us out Charvo!"

The pastel orange lizard appears before them. His tail blazes brightly, lighting up a significant portion of the room.

"What is this place?" Phoenix asks while looking around.

"Charmeleon?" Charvo looks at the walls in awe.

The walls are made up of thick slats of stone that contain markings drawn from the ceiling to the floor.

"It looks like some kind of language," Phoenix traces his fingers across the wall, "I should take pictures!"

Phoenix pulls out his cell phone and turns on the flash setting. Then he aims the camera at each wall and takes pictures of the markings.

"I've seen something like this before," Phoenix says thoughtfully, "in the Rock Tunnel near Lavender Town. Walls filled with markings and pictures."

"Raichu!" Raichu motions for Phoenix and Charvo to come closer.

Before Raichu, risen on a pedestal, sits a black spherical stone.

"What is it?" Phoenix asks, looking at it curiously.

"Char char!" Charmeleon gestures for Phoenix to pick it up.

Phoenix hesitates momentarily, but resigns to reach out to the sphere. Once in his hands, the sphere glows for a split second, and then reverts to its black state.

"This is strange," Phoenix concludes, "maybe we should bring it to a professional."

"Rai rai!" Raichu nods in agreement.

Phoenix pulls his bag off his shoulder and then slips the sphere into the main pouch, setting it gently between his clothes and his sleeping bag.

"Charmeleon!" Charvo points in another direction. He bolts towards a corner where Phoenix comes to realize is a small passage way.

Charvo squeezes through the hole with Raichu behind him. Phoenix kneels down and pushes his body through the small crack.

On the other side, Phoenix can see a small pool of water sparkling in the light of Charvo's flame.

"Wow, how'd this get here?" Phoenix asks, looking around at the cavern.

It is much taller and wider than the previous room, but Phoenix sees no immediate way out.

Phoenix approaches the water and looks down into it. There is no way to tell what's inside or how deep it is. Going for a swim seems like a poor decision.

Instead, Phoenix finds a rock next to the pool and lowers himself to sit on it.

He ponders his situation momentarily and wonders how to get out.

He is surprised when the rock trembles underneath him.

"Whoa," he gasps as he stands straight back up.

Before him stands a shelled Pokemon that he had mistaken for a nice sitting rock.

It hisses slightly at the disturbance and scurries away on its four yellow legs.

"Hold on!" Phoenix shouts at the Pokemon.

The Pokemon halts and turns back to Phoenix, looking at him with bright red eyes and taking a battle stance.

Phoenix pulls out his phone and clicks the dexter app.

"Error," the device replies, "unable to identify under current lighting conditions."

"Well, we're just going to have to catch it to find out what it is!" Phoenix states, moving a hand to his belt, "now, I found it near the water, so maybe it's a water Pokemon."

His hand feels for the right Pokeball on his belt and he picks the fourth one.

"Go Shinx!" he calls the little blue lion out.

The little lion immediately takes his fighting stance.

"Alright, Shinx," Phoenix commands, "use spark!"

Shinx leaps forward towards the mysterious Pokemon and releases a spark of electricity.

"Ka!" it cries out.

"Must be effective!" Phoenix concludes.

The shelled Pokemon scurries to Shinx and slashes at it with its sharp legs.

"Spark again!" Phoenix commands.

Shinx's spark causes the Pokemon to attempt to retreat, but Phoenix is much quicker.

He turns his hat backwards and pulls out a new Pokeball, "Go Pokeball!"

The Pokemon is engulfed in the red light and contained in the ball. It wiggles three times and then stops.

"Awesome!" Phoenix exclaims. The ball dematerializes and disappears back to the lab.

"Phoenix!" he hears distantly.

"Ferra? Austin?" he cries out, trying to locate where the voices are coming from.

"Rai Raichu!" Raichu bounds off towards one side of the cavern.

There is a small hole in the wall that Raichu motions to.

"You think this will lead us back?" Phoenix asks, looking into the hole.

"Rai," Raichu nods.

"Alright," Phoenix shrugs, "worth a try!"

Raichu slips into the hold and moves quickly. Phoenix returns Charvo and Shinx and follows after Raichu.

The small tunnel winds to the right and then the left. It is an upwards slope which is hard for Phoenix to move through.

Suddenly they come to a dead end.

"It just stops?" Phoenix asks Raichu in the darkness.

Sparks begin to fly from Raichu's cheeks which is a hint to Phoenix to move backward. The large rodent flares with electric power and then slams into the dead end in front of him. The rocks give way before them and Raichu hurtles into a new, larger tunnel. Phoenix scurries quickly after him. The unstable rocks fall over the small tunnel where they just come from.

"Phoenix!" he hears a little louder now.

"Ferra! Austin!" he shouts in response.

Raichu bounds off towards the direction of the voices with Phoenix on his heels.

"Phoenix!" Ferra shouts when the teen comes into view.

Ferra runs towards him and wraps him in a tight hug.

"Ferra," Phoenix mumbles into her hair.

Ferra pulls away, blushing, "oh Mew, I'm sorry."

"Where did you go?" Austin asks, "what did I miss?"

"It was strange!" Phoenix begins, "I ended up in this chamber filled with marks that looked like they might have been an ancient language!"

"What?" Austin screeches, "of course I missed it!"

"Sorry, but I have pictures!" Phoenix pulls out his phone and shows it to his friends.

"That's crazy!" Ferra says while looking at the phone.

"I caught a strange Pokemon too!" Phoenix exclaims in excitement.

"What was it?" Austin asks curiously.

"It was too dark for dexter to identify it," Phoenix continues, "but I think I've seen pictures of it somewhere. It had a big shell and four little yellow legs.

"Was it a Parasect? They're usually red though." Ferra asks.

"No," Phoenix shakes his head, "we'll just have to get it from Professor Oak when we reach the next center."

"Guess what I caught while we were looking for you, Phoen," Ferra inserts, "a Clefairy!"

"That's so cool!" Phoenix commends, "fairy types are so useful against powerful dragons!"

Finally back on the right path, the trio, and their Pokemon, head east through Mt. Moon, towards Cerulean City.

* * *

When they finally emerge from the cave, they find themselves on Route 4, just a few miles from Cerulean City. It had taken an entire day to navigate the cave and emerge on the east side. Because it was already past dusk, the group decided to set up camp for the evening near the cave entrance. Austin found himself exhausted from spending the entire day in the cave, so he decided to go to sleep as quickly as possible leaving Phoenix and Ferra to set up a fire on their own.

"I can't believe how many times I've already run into Team Rocket," Phoenix sighs once they can finally relax and sit together, "I mean, I've already faced them three times!"

"They run rampant in Pewter City at night. We don't have enough officers to chase them off." Ferra shakes her head at the seemingly hopeless situation.

"It's strange that people our age just up and join Team Rocket," Phoenix says gruffly, "don't they know how hard my parents fought to get rid of them?"

"It's despicable," Ferra exclaims, "one of my guy friends from school left to join Team Rocket. He thought he would have a chance to become rich and famous. I can't imagine what he's up to now."

Phoenix cannot help but cringe at the thought of Ferra having a friendship with another boy, let alone a Rocket. He finds his own feelings ridiculous, but can't shake the jealousy.

"Are you alright, Phoen?" Ferra asks as she notices his sudden silence.

"Oh yeah, right," Phoenix nods eagerly, "just thinking about your friend is all."

"Because he's a Team Rocket member?" Ferra asks thoughtfully. A sly smile forms across her lips as a new conclusion forms, "Or because he's a boy?"

"What?" Phoenix asks, a blush forming across his cheeks and the tip of his nose. "Why would that matter to me? That fact is completely irrelevant to the point of the situation."

"I don't know, Phoenix," Ferra smirks knowingly, "maybe there's another reason that it matters to you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Phoenix shakes his head wildly.

With that cat grin still stretching across her face, she scoots slightly closer to him. He subconsciously inches away from her.

"I think," she hums lowly, "that you're jealous."

"Jealous?" He murmurs in response and leans away from her. Her bold assertion strike his nerves and being so close right now is agonizing.

"Yeah, Phoenix, when a boy likes a girl, he might be jealous when she has guy friends." She states softly, dropping the sly facade slightly.

The softening of her tone is enough for Phoenix to regain his bearings.

"If a girl accuses a boy of being jealous, does that mean that _she_ likes _him_?" the words glide off his tongue before he can control it.

The light dances playfully in Ferra's purple irises. She is unbearably close now. The remnants of the sly smile show her playful nature.

"You know," she purrs softly, lifting a hand to draw circles on his bare arm, "I'm seventeen now. Many boys have shown interest in me. They probably will be interested until I choose a boyfriend."

"Is that right?" Phoenix swallows hard. He knows that his feelings for her are strong and it is clear by the look in her eyes and the way she flaunts herself that she knows there is something there as well, but is he ready for this? Is he ready for a relationship with his best friend? At sixteen? Would it work out or would it destroy their friendship too?

Then he remembers his father's wise words many years ago.

_Just do anything you can do that clearly says that you like her. Tell her! No mixed signals. Be clear. Trust me, you both will appreciate in the long run._

"Yeah," she finally pulls away from his personal space as he gains his courage. His eyes follow her intently. She shrugs and says, "There are a lot of options."

A blazing fire swallows his insides at the idea, but he keeps a cool demeanor. However, the fire beside them reflects his inner turmoil.

"A lot of options?" he asks, trying to tone down his jealousy. He flashes an endearing smile her way and asks bluntly, "any options that you're interested in?"

"There's this one guy that I've been interested in forever," she looks away to hide her reddening cheeks, "but I'm not sure if he's an option yet."

"What would this one guy have to do to be an option?" Phoenix asks curiously, trying to catch her eyes with his own, but she continues to stare at the fire, deep in thought.

She doesn't say anything immediately, and he's left to stare at her cautiously. Maybe he was wrong about her feeling the same way for him. Maybe she was thinking about some other man back in Pewter City.

"He needs to be so interested in me that he can't see his future without me," She tells him softly, "because I've loved him my entire life, and I can't ever lose him."

The sly smile falls from her lips and is replaced by the most honest and softest smile he's ever witnessed. There is no fear in her eyes after her declaration. His jaw loosens and falls slightly causing his lips to part. His brows furrow slightly in deep consideration.

She could not have been clearer. She gives no mixed signals. How could she be so brave?

But is he ready for his future to be settled just like that?

How could she know that he is her one and only?

Sure they've known each other for their entire lives, but they've only just reconnected.

"I don't expect anything from you right now, Phoenix, or ever if you're not interested," she continues to smile softly and grabs his hand, "I just wanted to be clear with you. I owe you that much because you're my best friend. My dad always told me to be clear. He said that not being clear would waste time."

"Funny, my dad told me that too," Phoenix mumbles shyly, "you're very brave, Ferra."

He looks down at her hand resting over his. Then he turns it to intertwine their fingers. Ferra stares down at their linked hands.

"I want to be clear too, Ferra," he begins nervously. He looks into her eyes and finds their destiny swimming in her eyes.

"I can handle anything, Phoenix," she claims, yet he sees fear nestling in her pupils.

"I have known you for, basically, forever," he rubs her hand softly, "and I love you."

Ferra watches him closely, the fear still present, waiting for the seemingly inevitable rejection, "but?"

"It isn't logical to jump into a relationship right now." Phoenix concludes, his voice betraying his body that screams for him to hold her.

"You just want to be friends, then?" Ferra asks, sadness spiking at every pitch.

"No," he states quickly, "I mean yes. I mean for now."

"For now?" She watches him curiously as he struggles to explain.

"You said you want me to be completely sure that we'll make it, right? Like full on relationship, marriage, children? Till death do us part?" Phoenix asks, repeating her conditions.

"Something along those lines," she acknowledges bashfully.

"Then let's travel the world together! Phoenix and Ferra! Let's catch Pokemon and join competitions and defeat gyms! We'll figure out what we're going to do, just like we said we would when we were kids." He tells her with excitement peaking in his voice.

She watches him, knowing that there is nothing the boy could do or say that would lessen her love for him, but it pains her to not understand his point.

"We'll grow up a little more and get a little older together and we'll have all of these experiences and new memories. And then we'll know. We'll know without a doubt if it's going to work forever." He tells her boldy, finding both her hands and holding them tightly in his own.

Her eyes shine with happiness. She had not planned on spilling her best kept secret that night. She had not known what his answer would be, but she was met with a real, honest, sincere, and logical proposal. He did not reject her; in fact, he confessed that he loves her. He simply requested more time with her as friends, and that was probably the smartest answer possible.

"That sounds like a really nice idea, Phoen," Ferra smiles brightly, just inches from Phoenix's own smile.

Phoenix's heart clenches at their proximity, while Ferra's breath catches in her own throat. The two spring apart, sharing matching blushes.

_This might be harder than I thought. _Phoenix thinks as he groans internally.

* * *

"_Professor, there's something that you should see," a man dressed in a lab coat calls to his colleague._

"_What is it Merrick?" the middle aged Professor Gary Oak leans over his staff's shoulder to view the computer monitor._

"_The dig in the Rock Tunnel turned up an interesting find," the man called Merrick begins, "Deep in the lower layer, our archeologists found a cavern. It contains an ancient language. From what we've been able to understand it's some kind of lost legend."_

"_Interesting," Professor Gary Oak rubs his chin in thought._

_Merrick continues, "The strangest part is the mural on one of the walls. It is a man with a Pokemon that appears to be similar to a Raichu."_

_A picture of the wall appears on the screen. A carved depiction of a Raichu using its electricity covers the wall. A simple drawing of a man is off to the side of the wall, fighting alongside his Pokemon. The object of their rage; a giant, evil pair of eyes set in a cloud of darkness that looms over the drawing._

"_How many freaking times can Ash be the chosen one?" Gary exclaims, only slightly salty._

"_Sir, you think it is depicting the Pokemon Master?" Merrick asks while looking closer at the carving._

"_Who else could it be?"_

* * *

"_This is the south entrance to the Rock Tunnel, Phoenix," Ash says as they jump off of Charizard's back, "Uncle Gary found something here that he wants to show me."_

"_What is it?" Phoenix asks curiously._

"_Just a really old picture carved in stone," Ash adjusts his had to block the strong sun rays._

"_What's it doing here?" Phoenix questions, looking around the entrance of the cave._

"_No one really knows, but I'm excited to learn more," Ash smiles down at him, "but remember, Phoen, no one knows that the scientists are here. It's supposed to be a secret. So we can't tell anyone -except mom."_

"_Got it," Phoenix agrees._

_Ash leads them into the cave. At the entrance it is quiet and the Pokemon inside go about their normal business. However, Ash gestures Phoenix to follow quietly through man made tunnels that lead to a brightly lit area._

"_There you are, Mr. Ketchum," a scientist greets him, "come this way."_

"_Alright, young man, don't roam off," Ash lectures Phoenix really quickly who is distracted by the carvings on the walls, "Stay by the scientists."_

_Ash follows the scientist to a different section while Phoenix stares up at the walls. There are markings from the ceilings to the floors. There are pictures scattered here and there of items and Pokemon. _

"_So what is this Pokemon called?" Phoenix hears his father across the room, "I've never seen anything quite like it."_

"_Well, the legends call it 'the darkness'," the scientist explains, "and it seems to refer to the other Pokemon, that appears to be a Raichu, as 'the light'. So there is no definitive name for it."_

_Phoenix walks quickly over to where his father is to hear what's happening._

"_So you think that Raichu and I have something to do with this legend?" Ash asks while still observing the mural._

"_We're not sure what it all means," the scientist continues to explain, "all we know is that you have a tendency to save the world and your Raichu is one of a kind."_

"_It's possible…" Ash contemplates._

"_We just want you to be prepared in case this comes to fruition." The scientist remarks._

"_What is it dad?" Phoenix asks curiously, trying to join the conversation._

"_It is a prophecy," Ash explains to his son, "but we can't know all of it just yet."_

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

I really hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I enjoy writing it! There was a little more action and plot development happening in this chapter. It will hopefully pick up a little from this point on.

Man, I totally didn't mean for Phoenix and Ferra's relationship to develop so fast, but I wrote it and I LOVED how honest they were, and also how much awkwardness and tension it will create. They both love each other, but they are teenagers and don't always know how to handle themselves. hehe

These are the Pokemon that our heroes have:

Phoenix: Charmeleon, Fletchinder, Oddish, Rattata, Nidoran, Shinx, Mankey, Pichu, Sandshrew, Kabuto (I'm sure you guessed what it was, but they don't know yet)

Ferra: Alolan Vulpix, Cubone, Clefairy.

Austin: Charmeleon, Bellsprout, four unknown

If you like this story tell/show me and the rest of Pokemon fic readers!

**Love, Alert Review!**


	6. Strategy

**Welcome back!**

Enjoy!

* * *

**Part 6**

_The smoke is insufferable, causing severe, heaving coughs from the young boy sprawled on the floor next to a large blue mouse Pokemon._

_The fire dances along the wood flooring in the room and leaps up the drywall. The flames lick the ceiling. Phoenix feels the heat of the flames and the oxygen being eaten up around him._

_He forces his scorched eyelids to open slowly. His cerulean eyes face a strange sight. Before him, within the flickering flames, glows two green orbs. The green auras surrounding the orbs dance with the red flames of the fire._

"Phoenix?" a sweet voice of concern rattles him from the nightmare.

He sits up in the sleeping bag, sweat forming on his brow and dripping from his auburn locks.

"Are you alright?" Ferra asks, scooting her sleeping bag closer to his, so she can see him more clearly in the moonlight.

He doesn't respond immediately as he wipes his face with the sleeves of his pajamas.

"It sounded like you were having a nightmare," she whispers gently, "you were restless and whimpering."

He feels the need to clear his throat after the dream smoke had racked his lungs.

"I-uh," he coughs as he tries to catch a steady breath, "yeah."

"Was it about the fire?" she asks bravely in a soft voice.

He looks down at his lap and finally breathes normally, "yeah."

"Do you have a lot of nightmares about it?" she whispers her question.

"Not much anymore," he shrugs his shoulders, "but there was something different this time."

"What do you mean?" she asks curiously.

He pauses to recount the dream, "Usually, I dream about the fire starting, Charvo hatching, and Raichu helping us escape. It all happened so fast. This dream started the same, except, within the fire there were two glowing green orbs. I don't remember ever seeing anything like them, but there was something strangely familiar about it."

Ferra stays quiet, simply listening to her best friend.

"Maybe I should have just gone to counseling and grief support like gran suggested," Phoenix groans quietly to himself, resting his head in the palms of his hands.

"And miss this?" she asks, motioning to their current surroundings.

Phoenix pauses his sulking to look and listen. In the distance, he hears a hooting of a Noctowl passing through and the buzzing of the bug Pokemon high in the trees. He watches as the light breeze moves the branches of the trees like puppets. Then his eyes drift up to the sky where there are no clouds to mask the intense light of the waxing moon in its gibbous phase and a glorious speckling of stars.

His gaze shifts back to her to find her beautiful purple irises glimmering in the moonlight.

A soft smile tugs at his lips, "never."

* * *

"Are we almost there yet?" Austin asks, lagging behind his friends who seem to never tire.

"I thought you said you've been to Cerulean before," Phoenix teases from ten feet in front of him, "don't you know where we are?"

"Oh stop it," Ferra giggles, "he's just a kid."

"I am not just a kid!" Austin shouts at them, "I don't think I like what's happening here!"

"What do you mean, kid?" Phoenix chuckles heartily in his sleeve.

"Phoenix!" Austin groans, slouching considerably as he drags his feet, "my brother calls me that all the time and it's annoying!"

"Relax, we're just a half a mile or so out of town," Phoenix shakes his head. Austin could be a fun guy to hang around, but admittedly he more often acts like a little, annoying brother. So he wants to see the becoming of a new Pokemon Master? So be it.

From behind them, Phoenix and Ferra hear him grunt and then quietly settle into the rest of their hike.

"Do you really want this kid following us on the whole journey?" Ferra asks quietly enough so that Austin can't hear. The question is more curious than rude.

"Ahh, I don't know," Phoenix shrugs, "he's not so bad. There's something about him that I like. A spark maybe. Or maybe I just like how he looks up to me. You know I never had a brother, and I never had much of a chance to be a big brother to River. And there's no way I could ever imagine you as a sister ever again."

He finishes his statement with a smirk and her cheeks tinge pink.

"Fine with me," Ferra smiles bashfully.

They fall into a quick, yet easy, stride once again.

Before long, the trio finds themselves on a hilltop to the west of Cerulean, looking down at the bustling city below.

"It looks a lot busier than the last time I was here," Phoenix observes softly, "it's been ages since I visited the gym. My aunts and their families always spend holidays in Pallet with gran and I."

"The art culture that has formed here has really taken off," Ferra informs them, "some say it has to do with your aunts' underwater ballets."

"What's that?" Austin points towards an unusual sight.

A crowd of panicked people rush down the main street of the city.

"Why are they all running?" Ferra asks, observing the mad rush.

"Is that?" Phoenix asks, trying to look closer around a street corner.

"What?" Austin questions, trying to see what Phoenix sees.

"Oh no!" Phoenix yells as he bolts off towards the city, his two friends hot on his trail.

"What is it, Phoen?" Ferra asks while trying to keep up. However, he doesn't need to answer when they round the corner on the fourth block.

Before them thrashes an enormous blue serpent. White spines run across its back. Two ten foot whiskers fall from each side of its excessively massive jaw and threatening teeth.

It roars madly as it swings its entire body back and forth, slamming heavily into buildings; damaging their glass exterior.

"Gyarados!" Phoenix shouts up at the beast, but it doesn't respond.

"Phoenix!" a new female voice calls from behind them.

A blonde haired woman stands off to the side nervously. Her green eyes look upon him with concern.

"Auntie, what's happening?" Phoenix yells back to her, not removing his eyes from Gyarados.

"We were attacked at the gym!" Phoenix's aunt, Daisy, replies, "Team Rocket tried to kidnap our Pokemon. Gyarados became enraged and began thrashing which caused this confusion. Team Rocket blew a hole in the wall and Gyarados chased after them! They escaped, but Gyarados won't listen to me!"

By the end of her explanation, the blonde woman is crying profusely, "what kind of gym leader am I? I can't even control my own Pokemon!"

Phoenix turns back to Gyarados who roars threateningly at a group of unaware people exiting the theater. Without another thought, Phoenix bursts into a sprint and runs towards Gyarados.

"Phoen!" Ferra yells, worriedly, from behind him.

Phoenix places himself in Gyarados' path and raises his arms in an attempt to block the group from Gyarados' rage.

"Gyarados, it's time to calm down!" Phoenix shouts at it.

However, Gyarados is unphased by Phoenix's attempts and lunges towards him. Phoenix leaps out of its path causing Gyarados to hit the ground hard and become angrier.

"Alright then," Phoenix mumbles to himself, dragging himself back to his feet, "we'll do this the hard way."

Phoenix pulls the gold luxury ball out from his jacket and enlarges it, "help us out, Raichu!"

Raichu's form materializes quickly and he appears, ready to battle.

"Raichu! Gyarados is confused, we need to knock him out to get him proper care," Phoenix explains quickly, "try a thunderbolt!"

"Raichu!" he responds, turning towards the large water serpent. Sparks form across his cheeks as he builds up enough energy to take on the massive beast.

He releases the built up energy and discharges it towards Gyarados. The electricity runs through Gyarados' body causing its muscles to seize briefly. Raichu's electric shocks light up the city in a new way. Subsequently, Gyarados' body relaxes causing it to faint and plummet to the ground.

"Gyarados!" Daisy yells as she runs towards its motionless body.

"Get it to the Pokemon Center, auntie," Phoenix insists quickly.

Daisy pulls out a Pokeball and returns the fainted Pokemon.

"Thanks, Phoenix," Daisy moves to hug the teen boy, who happens to have grown to be slightly taller than her already. When she pulls away, she looks towards Raichu, "like, we couldn't have done it without your help, Raichu."

Raichu gives her a quick smile and a peace sign.

"Are these your friends?" Daisy asks, peering behind him to spot Ferra and Austin.

"Auntie, this is Austin," Phoenix points at the blonde haired boy who waves sheepishly at her, "he said he's battled the gym a few times and lost."

"Hey!" Austin shouts, "we're not all sons of Pokemon Masters."

Phoenix snickers and continues, "and you remember Ferra, right?"

Daisy smiles at the teen, "I couldn't forget your girlfriend, Phoenix."

Phoenix blushes, but doesn't deny the accusation. Ferra watches him carefully for his reaction, pleased that he didn't deny it.

"Anyways, I suppose you didn't just come for a visit, little nephew," Daisy smiles at him.

"No, but it's a plus side," Phoenix shrugs his shoulders sheepishly.

"Come along with me," Daisy gestures, "we'll leave Gyarados with Nurse Joy and head back to the gym."

"Hold on there," a police woman wearing a blue uniform and sitting on a motorbike stops them, "before you go anywhere, I need a full report on what happened here."

"Officer Jenny," Daisy starts, "you know it's totally Team Rockets' fault."

"I'm sure it is," Officer Jenny nods authoritatively, "but I still need a full report."

After explaining the entire situation to Officer Jenny from start to finish, the group finally set out towards the gym, stopping quickly to have Gyarados checked out by Nurse Joy, and for Phoenix to switch his party.

* * *

"It's getting late," Daisy concludes as dusk settles around them. The gym has just entered their view.

"I'm going to have a lot of work to do to get that hole fixed," Daisy sighs, "hopefully your uncle can handle that."

"Won't the league pay for it?" Ferra asks.

"Yes, but there's a lot of paperwork to fill out and, honestly, it's not my specialty," Daisy shrugs.

"My mom handled all of the paperwork before she became an elite member," Phoenix explains to his friends, "my uncle Tracey takes care of that stuff now."

"Misty, like, handled everything," Daisy's smile turns soft and sad, "Water Pokemon were her life - of course, after Ash and her children."

"Rai," Raichu comments sadly, his usually perky ears droop down.

"Hey," Daisy's demeanor rises up again, "let's not dwell in the past though. You guys can stay the night and tomorrow we'll have a match."

"Is Donny home?" Phoenix asks, referring to his younger cousin.

"No, he left a few months ago," Daisy sighs softly, "he's trying his hand at contests in Hoenn. You all grew up so fast."

"Yeah yeah," Phoenix waves her off playfully, "that's what gran says."

Daisy just smiles as they reach the entrance of the gym. Phoenix looks up at the gym's front side where a large Dewgong statue rests, a monument to a family of prestige water trainers.

* * *

Phoenix traces the walls of the hallway with his fingertips. He is awake early which is not unusual, often being unable to sleep through the night.

To his right he finds pictures of Daisy, Tracey, and their eleven year old son, Donny. There are also pictures of Lily with her husband Tom and their two young children Macie and Margo as well as Violet with her husband Blake and their daughter, Kendra.

At the end of the hallway, Phoenix finds a large framed professional photo of his parents at their wedding. Ash gazes down at Misty from behind holding onto her waist. She looks up at him, her vibrant orange hair falling across her bare shoulders and onto her white gown. It is a gorgeous memorial. Next to it is the same picture of Christmas day that is stuffed into Phoenix's backpack. It was made into a holiday card that was sent out to their family members to celebrate the New Year.

"I wonder," Phoenix mumbles to himself as he reaches out to the picture.

It lifts off the nail easily, so he turns it around and maneuvers the locks. He carefully lifts out the tag board to reveal the back of the photo.

As he expected, on the back of the photo is a handwritten note. His heart skips a beat as he reads the curvy font.

Happy New year!

This year has been the most fun yet!

River turned five in the summer and began kindergarten in the fall. She can already write a full sentence and count to one hundred! Her best friend is Quinn who is seven years old already. The age difference doesn't bother them, and Phoenix plays with them sometimes too -when it's a Pokemon game. River also loves everything Pokemon! She wants to be a Pokemon Master just like her parents! She is so smart and spunky. She is the princess of the household!

Phoenix just turned nine and is already preparing for his Pokemon Training Journey. Ash and I have to tell him to slow down and have patience every day. He is planning to travel with his best friend, Ferra, after his tenth birthday. Phoenix is quick to learn like his mom and he is a natural Pokemon charmer like his dad. Ash is already terrified that Phoenix will steal his title in a few years time. He has so much talent already. We are amazed by him everyday. We really couldn't be more proud of him.

Ash and I are well. We're working hard to defend our titles and raise our family. It is always a challenge, but Ash and I manage alright.

We hope all is well in the Sketchit household! Donny looks so big already!

Love,

Misty, Ash, Phoenix, River, and all of our Pokemon

A small droplet of liquid drips onto the back of the photo. Phoenix quickly raises his sleeve to catch the next dozen forming in his tear ducts.

"What is it Phoen?" Ferra's soft voice surprises him from his left.

His eyes jerk to reach her gaze.

"It's just that," he pauses, looking back at the writing on the back of the photo, "everything that we had burned with our house. I have very few pictures and even less written notes from my parents. So this little holiday letter is a nice surprise."

Ferra peers over his arm to read the note while he stares blankly at it.

"You parents loved you so much, Phoen," Ferra says gently as she reaches her hand out to graze his arm.

"I know," Phoenix smiles sadly, thinking back to how encouraging and loving they always were, "I can still feel it."

Ferra wraps her arm around his side and squeezes him tightly. Phoenix sighs, leaning into her embrace. She is warm and smells like vanilla and spice.

"What do you say we head down to the pools?" Ferra asks. "I'm sure you're excited to battle Daisy and see your mom's Pokemon again."

"Yeah," Phoenix whispers in agreement.

He slips the tag board back onto the frame and locks it in. Then he carefully hangs it back on the nail he pulled it from earlier.

The two scurry back down the stairs towards the public gym area.

As they enter the main water arena, they immediately spot Daisy talking to Austin.

"Hey!" Phoenix waves from the other side of the room.

"Hey, little nephew," Daisy smiles brightly. She holds up a Pokeball and says, "guess who's feeling better!"

"Does this mean we're gonna battle?" Phoenix grins in response.

"Of course, little nephew," Daisy confirms with a nod.

"Let's do this!" Phoenix shouts with excitement. He runs to the challenger's side of the arena.

"Alright," Daisy agrees and gracefully makes her way over to the gym leader's side, "don't expect me to go easy on you!"

"I wouldn't dream of it!" Phoenix chuckles while pulling his hate tighter.

He then lets Raichu and Charvo out of their balls to watch the battle and reconnect. The two head over to the bleachers to sit next to Ferra and Austin.

"This will be a two on two match. The challenger wins if he can knock out both of leader Daisy's chosen Pokemon."

"I'll start out," Daisy says, "go, Dewgong!"

"Water/Ice type," Phoenix observes quietly to himself, "I guess I have to go electric."

Phoenix pulls out a ball and holds it tightly, "alright, go Luxio!"

A blue and black lion with yellow accent features appears on the battlefield and roars.

"What?" Austin screams from the bleachers, "when did Shinx evolve?"

Phoenix smirks at the younger boy, "just yesterday. You know I sneak away to train at night right? Long after you fall asleep."

Austin shakes his head in amazement at the teen while Ferra smiles affectionately in Phoenix's direction.

"Ready to go?" Daisy asks.

"Born ready, auntie." Phoenix grins confidently.

The two, aunt and nephew, stare at each other momentarily, waiting to see who would take the first move.

"Luxio, charge!" Phoenix orders suddenly. Luxio glows yellow as it stores up electrical power.

"Dewgong, knock it off the platform, use aqua jet!" Daisy commands, hoping to throw it off guard.

"Hold steady!" Phoenix shouts out, waiting as the water jet reaches Luxio, "now use thunderbolt!"

Luxio releases its stored electricity with a growl. The jetstream of water is a conductor and transports the electricity quickly to Dewgong who sees stars as it is shocked at a high voltage.

"Wow," Daisy says under her breath, "that was totally something Ash would have done."

Dewgong jumps into the large pool where it feels secure.

"Dewgong, come back up for an ice beam!" Daisy commands.

Dewgong's head appears out of the water and an icy beam emits from the small horn on its head.

"Light screen!" Phoenix orders quickly.

A purple transparent shield forms in front of Luxio. The ice beam passes through the shield, but weakens as it approaches and hits luxio head on.

"Luxio," it grunts and shakes off the ice residue left on its body.

"Quick, Dewgong, get in close," Daisy orders, "horn drill!"

The large dugong Pokemon leaps up onto the platform where Luxio stands and immediately tries to stab it with its horn.

"That's a one hit KO move!" Ferra shouts from the bleachers.

"Luxio, swagger!" Phoenix commands quickly.

Luxio breathes a deep breath and then flares its mane. The act causes Dewgong's attack power to rise, but in return causes it to become confused.

As a result, the water Pokemon stops attempting its horn drill and stops. It stares blankly, not knowing what to do next.

"Dewgong!" Daisy screeches, "move away! Retreat until the confusion is over!"

However, Dewgong is too confused to comply.

"Charge up again!" Phoenix orders.

"You gotta move!" Daisy cries out.

"Dew?" it questions, looking back towards Daisy. Unfortunately, it is too late for Dewgong to escape.

"Thunderbolt!" Phoenix shouts triumphantly.

Luxio's powered up thunderbolt causes Dewgong to collapse this time.

"Dewgong is unable to battle," the referee announces, "the gym leader is down to one remaining Pokemon!"

"Good job, Dewgong!" Daisy praises her Pokemon as she returns it, "you deserve a rest!"

"You're the best Luxio!" Phoenix cheers.

"It's a shame that your type advantage won't win this next round," Daisy smirks as she enlarges a new Pokeball.

"Go, Gyarados!" she swings her arm gracefully and releases the ball into the arena.

The same blue and white, monstrous serpent from the day prior appears in front of Phoenix and Luxio.

"Hey Gyarados!" Phoenix waves from his spot, "I am so glad you are feeling better! Ready to battle me?"

The enormous sea monster smiles and then roars.

The much smaller blue lion shudders at the sight of the beast. Luxio wonders how it's expected to win this round.

"Luxio," Phoenix shouts encouragingly, "just do your best!"

The lion takes its fighting stance and prepares.

"Charge and then start with your strongest thunderbolt!" Phoenix orders.

Luxio begins to charge its electricity throughout its body.

"Gyarados, splash!" Daisy commands.

"Oh no!" Austin says to his companions on the bleachers, "this is how she wins!"

Gyarados' large body raises into the air and then slams into the water. The force of its body causes a wave to rise and knock Luxio off of the platform and into the water.

"Luxio!" Phoenix yells, voice full of worry.

Luxio raises his head out of the water and begins to swim back towards the platform.

"Whirlpool!" Daisy yells out to Gyarados.

The water begins to churn and swirl, causing Luxio to be pulled further away from the platform. It is quickly swept into a whirlpool, moving towards the center.

Phoenix grits his teeth at the sight. Luxio wouldn't be able to stand this for long.

"Release your most powerful thunderbolt!" Phoenix orders from his spot.

Luxio obeys without question and releases a massive thunderbolt. The electricity is enough to cause Gyarados to cry out in pain and take on a lot of damage.

However, with the ongoing whirlpool, Phoenix calls out to the referee, "I surrender this round!"

"Luxio is unable to battle," the referee calls, "the gym leader and the challenger are down to one Pokemon each."

Gyarados stops the whirlpool attack and Luxio is able to pull itself back onto the platform.

"Thanks Luxio!" Phoenix smiles in gratitude, "You really weakened him!"

"Lux!" It shakes its body and sprays water everywhere.

"Return!" Phoenix calls Luxio back to its ball.

"What?" Austin asks with surprise, "What's he doing?"

"I'm sure he has a plan!" Ferra assures him, although nervous herself.

"Raichu," Raichu nods in agreement.

"Char, char!" Charvo jumps up and down, wishing he could battle.

"Sorry, Charvo," Ferra pats his head, "this isn't the battle for you."

"I bet he's going to go with Pichu," Austin says, "it's the only Pokemon he has that's good against Gyarados."

"We'll see," Ferra shrugs, she already knows that Ketchums can be surprising.

"Ready for more?" Daisy asks from across the arena.

"You bet!" Phoenix grins as he pulls out a new Pokeball, "now for your debut!"

Phoenix takes the ball and throws it out to the platform. On top of the platform forms a two foot long brown shelled Pokemon. Four yellow pincers stick out from underneath.

"What is that?" Daisy asks, squinting to try to determine what Pokemon it is.

"No way!" Austin says in awe.

"It's a Kabuto," Phoenix informs them, "I transferred it from the professor yesterday and thought it would be perfect for this."

"Water/rock," Ferra states quietly, impressed by his choice.

"No matter," Daisy shakes her head, "let's go, Gyarados, splash!"

The large beast once again rises into the air and then slams into the water. The force of the waves are enough to knock Kabuto into the water.

However, to Daisy's surprise, the Pokemon does not immediately come up for air.

"Gyarados, increase your power," Daisy shouts out, "use rain dance!"

The beast rears up and roars loudly. Clouds form across the dome of the roof. It is designed to handle the move.

"Kabuto, get in quickly with slash!" Phoenix orders.

The horseshoe crab Pokemon speeds through the water like a bullet and slashes its pincers across Gyarados's body causing it to roar in pain.

"It's so fast!" Daisy says in awe.

"You activated its special ability, swift swim, by using rain dance," Phoenix smirks. He is no novice trainer.

Daisy's fists tighten, "We're just going to have to fight harder than!"

"Bite!" Daisy calls immediately.

"Harden!" Phoenix counters.

The large serpent bites into the shell of Kabuto, but releases it and retreats when it realizes how hard its exterior is.

"What?" Daisy asks in awe.

"Kabuto, rock throw!" Phoenix orders.

Kabuto's eyes glow red as its mysterious powers pulls rock up from the base of the aquarium. The rocks move swiftly through the water and slam into Gyarados. The beast is knocked back into the water.

Daisy growls lightly to herself. How could she be outmaneuvered by her own nephew just weeks into his journey. Then she stops herself from becoming frustrated and smiles knowingly.

"You're just like your parents, Phoenix," she compliments sincerely, "they would be so proud of you right now."

Phoenix looks back across the pool at his aunt and smiles, "I know, auntie"

"But I'm not giving in that easily!" a determined look reappears on her face, "your mom might have been better at this than me, but that doesn't mean I'm a pushover."

Gyarados reemerges, ready to continue. Kabuto jumps back up onto the platform.

"Thrash!" Daisy orders with confidence.

Gyarados starts to throw its body across the pool wildly. It slams into Kabuto, knocking it off the platform again.

"Rock throw, again!" Phoenix calls, starting to worry about the battle's outcome.

Kabuto pulls rocks up from the depths and slams them again into Gyarados.

"That's it! Keep doing that!" Phoenix cries.

Kabuto attempts to pull more rocks up, but Gyarados slams into it again. The splashing from Gyarados' thrashing causes water to pour over the sides of the pool.

"Try again!" Phoenix calls once more.

Kabuto, from inside the water, slams more rocks into Gyarados who cries out in pain at the contact.

"Keep it up!" Daisy encourages Gyarados, "one more hit should do it!"

As Gyarados is about to thrash into Kabuto again, Phoenix calls, "endure!"

Kabuto glows red momentarily as Gyarados thrashes into it as hard as it can.

"Ka," Kabuto cries weakly.

Suddenly, Gyarados' eyes narrow. It roars out and thrashes about uncontrollably.

"Oh no!" Daisy cries, "it's confused again!"

Gyarados slams into the side of the pool and causes damage to itself.

"Kabuto," Phoenix calls finally, "finish this with one more rock throw!"

Kabuto drags rocks up from the depths again and slams them into Gyarados. The giant serpent roars madly and thrashes even harder, this time hitting its head on a rock. The massive beast floats to the top, unconscious.

"Gyarados is unable to battle," the referee calls, "the challenger, Phoenix Ketchum, is the winner!"

"I can't believe it," Daisy says as she returns Gyarados to its ball for rest.

"Way to go Kabuto!" Phoenix cheers as he leaps onto the platform where Kabuto sits.

"Ka!" it cheers tiredly, "Kabu!"

"That was amazing!" Ferra compliments him from the side of the arena where she and Austin stand with Raichu and Charvo.

"Incredible!" Austin cheers, clearly impressed.

"I knew you were the right choice!" Phoenix rubs Kabutos shell, smiling widely.

"Two gym battles, two badges," Ferra shakes her head, smiling widely, "you're unbelievable!"

Phoenix's hand snaps up and begins to rub the back of his neck. His face burns lightly with a blush.

"Well, Phoenix," Daisy approaches the challenger's side, "looks like you've earned this."

Daisy holds up a new Cascade badge that glints in the light coming through the hold in the wall from the day before.

"Awesome!" Phoenix returns Kabuto to rest and jumps back over to the challenger's area.

"It's been a long time since I've had such an awesome battle with a younger trainer. Congratulations."

Daisy hands the badge to Phoenix who grins at it with pride.

"Thanks, auntie," Phoenix holds it tightly and smiles at the blonde woman.

"I'm so glad you're doing this, little nephew," she reaches out and give him the best motherly hug she can muster.

"Me too," he chuckles and leans into the hug.

"Hey, Daisy," a man with long dark hair tied back in a ponytail enters the gym area, "did I miss something?"

"Uncle Tracey!" Phoenix laughs and waves at the middle aged man.

"When did you get here, Phoenix?" Tracey asks, moving towards them.

"Just late last night," Phoenix shares, "I thought you were doing research with Professor Oak this week."

"I was," Tracey nodded along, "but Daisy called and asked if I could come home early to see you."

"I was hoping you could stay another say and we could have dinner tonight!" Daisy smiles, asking them to stay a bit longer.

"That would be awesome!" Phoenix says as his stomach agrees audibly.

"Sounds like lunch first, though!" Tracey laughs heartily.

"Yes, please!" Phoenix says at the same time as Austin.

They both look at each other and laugh.

"Excuse me," a new voice calls from the entrance of the gym.

"Yes," Daisy walks towards the front, "how may I help you?"

"My name is Grant Roque," the man in the suit from a few days prior makes his appearance. He smiles brightly as he sees Phoenix and his friends.

"You mean _the_ Grant Roque running for a representative seat?" Daisy asks in disbelief.

"The one and only," he opens his arms to gesture that he's really there.

"What can we do for you?" Tracey asks, rubbing Daisy's back lightly.

"I would like to talk to Phoenix for a moment if possible," he informs them, his eyes moving to the auburn haired teen.

"Me?" Phoenix asks, confused.

"Yes," Grant nods and moves towards Phoenix, "I was thinking about our encounter the other day, and then I heard about your battle with a rampant Gyarados yesterday. I was hoping I could have your assistance."

"Assistance with what?" Phoenix asks, unsure about the man's request.

"I have a feeling that you're the type of man who gets roped into wild situations," Grant begins, "I was hoping I could have your cooperation. You see, I am trying to learn more about Team Rocket's operations. One of my promises if elected is to eradicate Team Rocket's crime in Kanto. My request is that you keep me updated on anything you find out about Team Rocket."

"I don't know how I could be of any help," Phoenix shrugs his shoulders, "but I could give you a call if I see anything unusual."

"That's all I ask, son," Grant smiles and nods towards Phoenix, "don't go looking for any trouble though. I don't need people thinking that I sent a teen to fight Team Rocket."

"We won't," Phoenix laughs lightly.

"Here's my business card," Grant hands him a small rectangular card, "I'd appreciate if you keep the information to yourself."

"Of course," Phoenix agrees.

"I wish you the best of luck on your journey, Phoenix Ketchum," Grant nods again and walks back toward the entrance where his security personnel wait.

"That was odd," Austin says, staring after the man in the suit.

"Yeah," Phoenix shrugs," he probably thinks I'm going to have adventures like my parents."

"I'm hoping so!" Austin says happily.

"Alright," Phoenix says rubbing his stomach, "now I'm starving!"

After a hearty laugh, the entire group heads back to the private quarters for lunch, giggling together on their way.

* * *

"_Please, Master Ketchum," a young man begs from the floor on his knees, "please battle with me."_

_Staring down at the young man is the beautiful, talented Misty Ketchum, Water Pokemon Master._

"_I cannot accept your battle today," Misty sighs, rejecting the man, "I'm just here with my son to visit my sisters."_

"_Just one on one?" he asks hopefully._

_Misty bites her lip and looks over to her nine year old son who stares up at her with pleading eyes._

"_Please, mom!" Phoenix begs, pulling on her yellow shirt, "I want to watch you battle!"_

"_For your son?" the man requests._

_Misty squeezes her eyelids together tightly and sighs, "one on one. Only because my son wants to watch me kick your butt!"_

"_Oh thank you!" the man cries in gratitude, "I've always hoped to face you!"_

"_Come with me," she says, motioning for him to follow them into the area._

"_Like, we're not accepting anymore challenges today," Daisy says when she sees the man following behind Misty._

"_Not challenging you," Misty says, annoyance finally fading from her tone, "he wants to battle me."_

"_Don't make a mess," Daisy says with a shrug and goes to sit on the bleachers with Phoenix._

"_This should be quick," Misty mutters to herself as she reaches the gym leader's stand, "it's been a while since I last stood here."_

"_This is an unofficial battle between Misty Ketchum, the Elite Water Master of Kanto and Mark Terry of Johto. It will be a one on one battle. The first to faint will lose the challenge." The referee announces._

"_Alright," Misty says, a spark igniting in her cerulean eyes, "Misty calls Golduck!"_

_The blue duck Pokemon appears, but just stands there looking confused._

"_Golduck, huh?" the challenger looks at his Pokedex for information. He pulls out a Pokeball and enlarges it, "Then I will go with Jolteon!"_

_A yellow prickly fox Pokemon appears. It barks and flares its spines._

"_Go ahead," Misty tells him._

"_Start with agility!" the man orders. The electric fox jumps from the platform and across rocks sticking out of the water to speed itself up, "and wild charge!"_

"_Disable," Misty orders calmly._

_Golducks eyes glow blue and an aura appears around him. Jolteon halts in its tracks and, as a result, falls into the water. It scurries back to the nearest rock and pulls itself out of the water._

"_Jolteon!" its trainer yells in surprise, "are you alright?"_

"_Golduck," Misty orders, "rain dance."_

_Golduck's eyes glow again. This time a cloud condenses above them and droplets pour from it._

"_Quick attack!" the man orders._

_Jolteon starts running and jumping from rock to rock again. However, Golduck leaps out of the way of the attack._

"_Hydro pump!" Misty orders._

_From close range, Golduck blasts Jolteon across the arena._

"_Try your thunderbolt!" he orders again._

_Jolteon starts to spark, but Misty is quick on her feet._

"_Golduck, Psychic!" she orders._

_Golduck's eyes glow again. He uses his psychic power to freeze Jolteon in its tracks. Then he lifts Jolteon into the air and slams it down on the platform. _

_When Jolteon doesn't move to stand, the referee calls it, "Jolteon is unable to battle. Misty Ketchum is the winner."_

_Phoenix cheers from the bleachers, "go mom! You're awesome!"_

_Misty jumps off the leader's box and moves to the side of the midpoint of the arena to speak to the challenger. Golduck jumps out of the arena to follow._

"_It was an honor to lose to you, Master Ketchum," he bows his head in gratitude._

"_Jolteon is very well trained, good work." she congratulates him._

"_Thank you," he nods, "your Golduck is amazing."_

_Misty turns to look at the blue duck. He stands there with his arms hanging at his side, just watching the conversation. Training him from such a dopey Psyduck to a champion is one of her greatest accomplishments. _

"_He's worked really hard to come this far," she smiles and pats the duck on his back._

"_Duck!" he cocks his head to the side as he often would as a Psyduck._

"_Although his personality will always be the same!" Misty laughs to herself. Her challenger, not having known Psyduck, chuckles along unknowing._

"_How did you train him to be so quick? Quick attack is a hard move to escape!" the challenger asks curiously._

"_My Golduck has the Swift Swim ability," Misty informs him, "when it's raining, his speed increases drastically."_

"_That's a neat ability!" the challenge commends._

"_Definitely!" Misty agrees, "it took a long time to figure it out, because he couldn't swim as a Psyduck!"_

_Misty giggles at the memories of the little yellow duck flailing around in the water._

"_Anyways," Misty recovers and continues, "take care and train hard. Maybe you can face me in an official elite battle someday."_

"_I hope so," he nods, "maybe I could face your husband too!"_

"_You wouldn't stand a chance!" Phoenix chimes from his seat._

_The man laughs at the young boy, "probably not, but a man can try!"_

"_Phoenix, be polite," Misty urges him._

"_Sorry, mom," he rubs the back of his neck after being scolded._

_The man bids them farewell and leaves the gym._

"_Phoenix, come here," Misty calls to him._

"_Yes, mom?" he asks approaching her._

"_I want you to remember this battle," she tells him softly, "the challenger was a fine trainer. However, he came to a water gym hoping to win solely based on type advantage. Sometimes that works, but sometimes it takes more strategy than that."_

"_Like how you used Golduck's ability?" Phoenix asks._

"_Exactly," Misty traces her thumb across his forehead and ruffles his hair, "you're amazing, Phoen."_

"_I know," he laughs._

"_Where's my favorite wife?" a deep voice asks from the entrance of the gym, "and my favorite son?"_

"_Where's my favorite mom?" a much higher pitched voice repeats, "and my favorite brother?"_

_Ash appears with River giggling atop his shoulders._

"_Right here," Misty smiles, her arm moving behind Phoenix's back. She squeezes his arm lightly and smiles at him, "waiting for our favorite people."_

_Ash leans over and River holds her arms out. Misty grabs her and pulls her off of Ash's shoulders. _

"_Momma!" River cooes into her mother's neck._

"_What've you been up to, Phoen?" Ash asks, ruffling his hair just as Misty had a few minutes prior._

"_Just watched mom kick some challenger's butt!" Phoenix exclaims._

"_Of course she did," Ash grins at Misty who returns her own grin._

_Ash leans forward and kisses Misty on the lips. It is brief, however, Phoenix still makes gagging sounds as a joke._

"_Remember that talk we had, son," Ash chuckles heartily, "you'll want to kiss girls before you know it."_

"_Ash!" Misty smacks his arm, "let him be a kid as long as possible."_

"_Hey!" he laughs, "I'm just messing with him."_

_Phoenix groans at his parents bickering. The whole romance is still disgusting to him, and his parents are no exception._

"_Come on, Phoen," Ash chuckles and puts his arm around his shoulder, "how about we all go out for dinner? We'll bring Daisy, Tracey, and Donny too."_

"_Okay," Phoenix caves quickly. He had inherited his father's ability to consume all food in sight._

"_Thanks for battling today," Phoenix turns to his mom._

"_You know I'd do anything for you, honey," she tells him honestly, "I love you, Phoenix."_

"_Love you too, mom," he replies sincerely._

* * *

Phoenix: Charmeleon, Fletchinder, Luxio, Mankey, Pichu, Sandshrew, Kabuto, Oddish, Rattata, Nidoran (male)

Ferra: Alolan Vulpix, Cubone, Clefairy.

Austin: Charmeleon, Bellsprout, unknown

* * *

I hope you enjoyed!

I love writing. I wish I had ideas that weren't Pokemon related, so I could be a writer.

Small things are developing! I hope you're paying attention!

Let me know what you think! Tell me your theories!

Thank you to those who took the time to review! 6,000 word chapters take a while to write and you guys keep me going! (Special thanks to TigerCat111! You da real MVP!)

Love, Alert, Review!


	7. Obsidian

**Welcome back!** Enjoy!

* * *

**Part 7**

"This is it," Phoenix whispers, taking careful steps towards the rocky cliff edge.

"This is what?" Austin asks, cocking his head to the side, curiously watching Phoenix.

"The Cerulean Cape," Ferra answers for Phoenix, "haven't you ever heard of it?"

Phoenix stares silently out at the sea, as if he cannot even hear their conversation.

Austin peers over the cliffside and shakes his head. Then he blinks as if he is remembering something, "Oh wait, I know. My parents once told me about this place. Said it was a romantic spot or something."

"This is where my dad proposed to my mom," Phoenix chimes, finally free from the spell that had held him captive.

"It is?" Austin asks, surprised.

"Yeah," Phoenix nods, "after dad returned from fighting Team Rocket, they confessed their love and dad proposed to mom a few months later."

"I was never told that story," Austin whispers thoughtfully to himself.

"What was that?" Ferra asks, furrowing a brow at the younger boy.

"It's just that I-um," Austin fumbles his words, searching for his explanation, "well, none of the websites mention it."

"Good," Phoenix chuckles to himself, "I would hate to see this place overpopulated. It's meant to stay quiet and relaxing.

Phoenix closes his eyes and breathes in the salty air. He had never had to wonder why his mother loved the ocean so dearly. Though he loves all Pokemon types with equal passion as his father did, his heart yearns for the ocean in a similar fashion as his mother's. It is beautiful and unpredictable; fierce and unforgiving, yet calming.

"Do you see that lighthouse?" Ferra asks, pointing across the sandy beach towards another steep cliff where a tall building sits at the very top.

"Oh yeah," Phoenix ponders momentarily, "that's Bill's lighthouse. The renowned Pokemon Researcher."

"Bill's lighthouse?" Austin asks, staring at the structure.

"Don't you know anything?" Ferra asks, annoyed.

"Well, sorry!" Austin argues, "I've never travelled this far north of Cerulean!"

"Hey, guys," Phoenix breaks up their argument, "Iet's go see if he's home! I have some questions about those pictures I took in Mt. Moon. If anyone can help - it's probably him!"

With the words still ringing in his friends' ears, Phoenix is already barrelling down the cape towards the beach leading towards the lighthouse.

"Hey!" Austin screeches, "don't leave me with her!"

Ferra frowns angrily and flicks him on the forehead. Then she dashes after Phoenix. When Austin recovers, he shakes it off and follows.

At the base of the cape, the two are unsurprised to see Phoenix in a battle stance facing off against a wild, yellow bird Pokemon.

"I was hoping that I would find one," Phoenix grins, pulling out a Pokeball.

"A Psyduck?" Ferra asks, confused. "You've always wanted a Psyduck?"

"I watched mom battle with her Golduck," Phoenix explains, "definitely a Pokemon I want on my team!"

"He is like her favorite Pokemon!" Austin says eagerly.

"He was," Phoenix corrects him automatically.

"Right," Austin hangs his head at his mistake.

"Anyway," Phoenix throws the Pokeball, "go Pichu!"

"Pichu Pichu!" the tiny yellow mouse squeaks.

"Psyduck," the yellow duck takes a fighting stance and narrows its eyes.

"Pichu," Phoenix orders, "thundershock!"

"Pi Pichuuuuuuu!" It yells its name as it releases its attack.

The Psyduck is surprised by the electric attack and knocked backwards.

It lifts its head and reveals glowing blue eyes.

"Uh oh," Phoenix scratches his neck.

Psyduck releases a powerful psychic attack that throws Pichu backwards into the sandy ground.

"Are you alright Pichu?" Phoenix asks.

"Pichu," it shakes the sand out of its fur.

"Try a quick attack," Phoenix encourages.

Pichu charges towards Psyduck, but the bird doesn't move. Pichu slams into it, but merely bounces off.

Then, Psyduck cracks a smile. The bird bursts out into a belly laugh and begins to roll on the ground over Pichu's attempted attack.

"PICHU!" the little mouse squeals, offended by the wild Pokemon.

"Hold on, Pichu!" Phoenix tells it while watching closely.

Then he pulls out a new Pokeball and casually tosses it at Psyduck. The yellow duck is absorbed into the ball. It wiggles once, twice, and then stops.

"Did you just catch Psyduck with a laugh attack?" Ferra asks, trying to hold in a bout of laughter herself.

Phoenix watches the ball. When it disappears, transporting back to the Oak Laboratory, he can't help but burst into a fit of laughter followed by his friends.

Pichu, however, is not entertained. It huffs at their wackiness.

"I'm sorry, buddy," Phoenix wipes at his cheeks to remove tears that formed in laughter, "but your physical attacks will become much stronger someday when you're a Pikachu. Even more if you want to be a Raichu.

"Chu," Pichu jumps up and down.

"You'll get there," Phoenix assures it, "it just takes time."

* * *

When the trio finally arrives at the lighthouse doors, signs of the impending dusk are quickly appearing.

"This place looks like it's a thousand years old," Austin comments as he looks up at the large wooden door.

"It is pretty old. Maybe one hundred or two," Ferra corrects him.

"Know it all," Austin mumbles under his breath.

"I heard that!" Ferra bites back.

**Knock Knock Knock** Phoenix interrupts their fighting by simply knocking on the door.

"Who's there?" a voice is heard from a speaker near the door.

"Hello," Phoenix greets through the speaker system, "my name is Phoenix Ketchum and I was hoping to talk with Mr. Bill. I need some help with solving a sort of mystery."

"Ketchum, you say?" the voice responds thoughtfully.

A rumbling is heard inside and the large wooden doors begin to open.

A green-haired man dressed in a curious purple suit appears in the doorway.

"Young master Ketchum," the man exclaims, "it is wonderful to see you once again."

Phoenix looks strangely at the man, "have we met before?"

"Oh, pardon me," the man waves a hand sheepishly, "of course, you don't remember. You were merely a boy when I saw you last. I suppose we ought to become reacquainted. I am BIll, the Pokemon researcher."

"It's nice to meet you again, Bill," Phoenix shakes his head, "Sorry I don't remember."

"All is well," Bill waves again as if to say it's no big deal. "Who are your friends?"

"Oh right!" Phoenix chuckles, "this is Ferra. You might have met her father, Brock. He traveled with my dad for a long time. And this is Austin."

"That's right," Bill snaps his fingers, "I remember Brock as well."

"The reason that we came up this way is that I stumbled onto something strange and I was hoping you would take a look at it." Phoenix requests.

"Of course," Bill motions them inside, "anything for the son of Ash Ketchum."

Inside the lighthouse, the trio finds themselves in awe of all the technology placed against the walls. Many scientists sit and work furiously at their computers. Most don't even realize there is company.

"Will," Bill calls over to a young man in a lab coat near a computer in the middle of the room.

The young man sports short cut brown hair and a piercingly bright smile.

"This is my son, William the third," Bill introduces, "Will, this is Phoenix, Ferra, and Austin."

"It's a pleasure," Will greets the trio with a friendly nod.

Phoenix is happy to meet the young man -that is- until he notices his blue eyes' gaze resting on the one thing that could make him cringe inside; Ferra.

Will bypasses Phoenix and extends a hand to Ferra, "it's certainly an honor to meet you, gorgeous."

The comment is enough to cause Phoenix's eyes to widen in horror and a jealous burning feeling in the pit of his stomach to form.

"You as well," Ferra smiles politely back.

Her response causes his heart to falter. She had just admitted to loving him days before. Could that change so easily? Would his cautious approach be too slow for her? Could a charming stranger sweep her off her feet?

However, Ferra, being his best friend of sixteen years, notices his discomfort and reaches her slender hand out to enterwine her fingers with his.

"But you should be even more honored to meet Phoenix," Ferra smiles apologetically at the handsome young man, "he is the son of Ash and Misty Ketchum."

Will nods quickly when he realizes that Ferra is taken and turns towards Phoenix, "you don't say?"

"She speaks the truth," Bill nods in agreement, "I met him when he was a boy."

"Well, then," Will grins, "it really is an honor to meet you!"

Will extends a hand to shake Phoenix's hand. Phoenix allows his formerly ill feelings to fade as he shakes the hand of a new friend.

"And I'm Austin!" Austin exclaims, making sure he isn't forgotten.

"Of course, of course," Will laughs, "nice to meet you too."

"What is it that we can do for you, Phoenix?" Bill finally asks.

Phoenix pulls out his phone and scrolls through his picture gallery.

"I fell into a cavern in Mt. Moon," Phoenix explains, "and I wound up in a strange room with markings on the walls. I took pictures of them so I could ask someone like you about it."

Bill peers at the first picture curiously then asks, "do you mind if I?"

Phoenix hands the phone to Bill. The researcher presses a few buttons and suddenly the pictures appear on large screens above them.

"Remarkable," Bill says while scanning over the pictures.

"This is just like the Obsidian Prophecy," Will comments, eyes wide while he stares at the screens.

"Exactly," Bill confirms.

"I saw something like this before," Phoenix says. "In the Rock Tunnel with my dad."

"Yes," Bill nods his head, "it's something that's been on the backburner for a while. Professor Gary Oak headed up the expedition. He consulted me on it a few times. Since your father passed away, we haven't felt the need to explore it again."

"What did my dad have to do with it?" Phoenix asks.

"From what we know, the prophecy speaks of the coming of darkness, a foul entity that devours souls, as well as a Pokemon of light. A soul powerful enough to overcome the darkness. The Pokemon that is carved into the cave wall in the Rock Tunnel appears to be a Raichu. Thus we believed the prophecy to involve your father and his Raichu." Bill explains. "However, with Master Ketchum lost and his Raichu a normal Raichu once again, we have no idea what the prophecy is referring to."

"Can you read it?" Phoenix asks, referring to the wall.

"I'm not familiar with the language used," Bill shakes his head, "but the computer might be able to decode it given enough time."

"Why did you call it the Obsidian Prophecy?" Austin asks randomly.

"The parts of the prophecy that we can understand speak of a perfectly round piece of obsidian," Will answers, "that is said to contain the souleater."

"Perfectly round piece of obsidian?" Phoenix's skin crawls when the jigsaw in his head pieces together, "uh oh."

The group turns to look at Phoenix as he rummages through his backpack and carefully pulls out the pure black, perfectly round object that he found in Mt. Moon.

"I hope this isn't what I think it is," Phoenix groans as he holds it out to Bill.

"Good heavens," Bill reaches out and takes it from Phoenix carefully. "If it is, it needs to be locked away immediately."

"If the wrong hands were to get a hold of this…" Bill pauses to think, "then the entire world would be in danger."

"We've just been carrying that thing around with us for days?" Austin asks, bewildered.

Bill turns the object around carefully and observes its perfect curvature.

"Devin," Bill calls one of his scientists over, "I need a safe box immediately, and prepare the vault."

"Yes sir," the scientist, Devin, nods and runs off.

"I'm going to take a scan of it, and then set it up to take readings from inside the vault." Bill informs them. "I have a feeling that this prophecy is bigger than just a legend."

"What's going to happen to it when you're finished?" Austin asks curiously.

"The obsidian stone will be studied and then sent to a secure location," Bill explains, "I have friends in the government who will know where it can exist safely."

"The idea is that it will never have an opportunity to fall into the wrong hands," Will says.

"That's a good idea," Phoenix nods in agreement.

"Thank you for bringing it here to us," Bill says, "someone would have eventually found it in Mt. Moon."

"I wonder if that's why Team Rocket was at Mt. Moon that day," Ferra wonders aloud.

"You mean when they attacked outside the entrance?" Phoenix asks.

"Maybe," Ferra shrugs.

"Luckily we don't have to find out," Austin laughs.

Suddenly, a clock begins to sound. The chatter in the room multiplies as the scientists begin to shut down their systems and converse with small talk.

"What does that mean?" Austin asks.

"End of the work day," Bill explains, "most scientists will leave and go back to their homes, while a few live here at the lighthouse."

The group watches as most of the scientists file out of the lighthouse, waving goodbye to Bill on their way.

"Hey, do you three need a place to stay tonight?" Bill asks. "We have a spare bedroom."

"I wouldn't mind," Ferra shares her thoughts.

Phoenix nods in agreement, "that would be really nice."

"Sure," Austin chimes.

"Wonderful," Bill smiles, "but first, we eat."

* * *

"And then the creature was so close, we could almost see its details. All I could tell was that it was built like a Dragonite. I concluded that it must be related," Bill tells the teens a story from long ago, "but there was a group of bad people, from Team Rocket, who blasted it with bazookas. It left after that. I didn't hear from the creature for a very long time. That is, until I figured out how to explain to it what had happened that fateful night. I created a series of cries from Dragonites that told it that it wasn't I who attacked it and that I just want to be its friend."

"That's terrible!" Ferra exclaims dropping her fork, "how dare Team Rocket interfere like that."

"I have long let that go," Bill smiles warmly, "my friend has been communicating back to me for years. I just hope someday it decides to try trusting me again."

"I would love to meet a Pokemon like that," Phoenix imagines, while playing with the broccoli on his plate.

"Me too," Austin agrees.

Ferra yawns and stretches her arms.

"You tired?" Phoenix asks, watching her closely.

"Yeah," Ferra nods lightly, "I didn't sleep well last night outside. It's hard to go from a bed to sleeping bag."

"Makes sense," Phoenix acknowledges, "I couldn't sleep much either. Been having strange dreams.

"Did you say you slept in the forest last night?" Bill asks curiously.

"Yeah, why?" Phoenix asks.

"They say there is a phenomenon that some humans and Pokemon may have strange dreams when they are nearby a legendary or mythical Pokemon." Bill shares with them.

"You think there is a legendary around?" Austin asks. "That would be so neat!"

"There's a rumor that there have been a couple of legendaries that moved into these forests over the last twenty years because of the increase in strange dreams." Bill explains.

"Have you ever seen one here?" Ferra asks curiously.

"No," Bill shakes his head, "it's very possible they are just rumors."

Ferra yawns again and then leans against Phoenix.

"How about I show you to your room?" WIll asks.

"That would be great," Phoenix smiles in response.

The trio helps clean up their dinner plates and put away the extra dishes before following Will down the hallway to the spare bedroom.

"It isn't much," Will explains as he opens the door and turns the light on, "I'm sure you will figure out your sleeping arrangement."

Before them are two full size beds.

"Dibs," Austin says as he jumps onto one of the beds.

"You're going to have to share it with me," Phoenix rolls his eyes.

"Nah," Austin shakes his head, "share with your girlfriend."

"Austin!" Phoenix barks, "you're sharing with me. That's the proper solution."

"The bathroom is right across the hall there," Will tells them quickly, "have a good sleep."

Will snickers as he leaves the room. Ferra sets her bags on the second bed.

"I don't want to share a bed with you!" Austin shrieks.

"You think I want to share a bed with you?" Phoenix asks, throwing a pillow at his head.

Meanwhile, Ferra just giggles and readies her bed.

"Just shut up about it," Phoenix rolls his eyes.

"Fine," Austin mumbles as he grabs his bag and leaves for the bathroom.

"I'm starting to think having a little brother would be annoying," Phoenix scoffs half annoyed and half playfully.

"It is," Ferra confirms, "but you gotta love them."

In the dark room, Phoenix's eyes rolling can almost be heard. They had gone to sleep two hours ago, but he had been awoken by his younger companion sleeping sprawled across the bed diagonally, much too close for Phoenix's comfort.

"Austin!" Phoenix hisses and pokes the boy, "go back to your side of the bed.

"Mom," he mutters in his sleep, "I don't want to feed the Pokemon. Let me sleep."

"I'm not your mom!" Phoenix groans.

"Raichu use psychic!" Austin dreamily throws his arm out and jabs Phoenix in the face.

"What a kook!" Phoenix grunts as he slips out of the bed and onto the floor.

He pulls a blanket and pillow down and makes a bed for himself on the floor. However, the floor is much colder and harder than he had expected. Maybe sharing a bed with Austin was better.

Phoenix turns over and tries to get comfy again. However, immediately, he knows it isn't going to work. He sits up and collects his items, muttering to himself. He stands and moves back towards the bed where Austin has now thrown his arms and legs out in both directions. He shakes his head at the sight. He wonders if Ferra is awake to hear him moaning and groaning.

"Ferra?" he asks as he turns towards her bed. He receives no response.

_She must be sleeping._ He concludes.

He squints his eyes in an attempt to see better. The moonlight reveals her slender body curled up against the wall. _She's barely using that bed!_

He steps closer, holding onto his pillow and blanket. _I'm sure she wouldn't really mind. She wants me to sleep well and Austin sure isn't helping. _

Then he gently places his pillow at the top of the bed and leans over to crawl onto the bed. It creaks slightly so he freezes. _If I'm so sure she would be fine with this, why am I sneaking?_

However, sleep calls to him, and he carefully lowers himself onto the bed -as close to the outer side as possible. _There. We've slept in the same bed before anyway. No big deal._

* * *

"_Phoenix, can you grab the basket?" Misty asks her son._

"_Yep!" he agrees, pulling the basket out of the trunk of the suv. _

"_Where are we going?" River asks as Misty hands her a blanket to carry._

"_Somewhere very special to us," Misty smiles lovingly and runs a hand gently over her young daughter's face. _

"_Hurry up!" Ash calls from up the hill where he and Raichu stand. He is carrying a large umbrella. _

"_Coming!" Phoenix yells as he runs after him._

_Misty closes the trunk and uses a fab to lock the door. She carries a familiar red bag filled with sunscreen, and a cooler with drinks._

"_Boys," River says sassily, rolling her eyes._

_Misty giggles at her daughter. She is four going on sixteen._

"_We better follow, River," Misty says as they start walking up the incline._

"_What is this place?" Phoenix asks at the top of the hill, looking out over the ocean._

"_This is the Cerulean Cape," his dad answers._

"_It's so beautiful!" River screeches, running towards the cliff edge._

"_Don't get too close to the edge, sweetie," Misty warns._

"_Let's set up the blanket here," Ash jams the umbrella's sharp end into the ground. It takes some effort trying to balance and kick it deeper._

_Misty helps River unfold the blanket and spread it underneath the umbrella._

"_It's really cool here," Phoenix says, "but why did we drive all the way out to Cerulean just for a picnic?"_

"_Well," Misty begins to explain, "this is a very important place for your dad and I."_

"_Even before we were dating, we would come out here and talk," Ash chimes in._

"_There have been a lot of good things that happened here," Misty smiles up at her husband, "and some not so great things not too far away."_

"_Let's sit and pull out some grub and talk," Ash nudges him towards the blanket._

_The family of four sits down together and begins to share the sandwiches, grapes, string cheese, and juice boxes._

"_So this is where your dad proposed to me," Misty shares once everyone is eating._

"_Like to marry you?" Phoenix asks._

"_Yes," Ash confirms, "and about a mile… that way. That's where we took down Team Rocket. And where I almost died."_

"_You almost died?" River squeals in surprise._

"_You know how daddy has a metal leg?" Misty asks carefully, "well, daddy was hurt really badly. He is lucky to be alive."_

"_I never really thought about that," Phoenix ponders._

"_Look kids," Ash begins, "there are going to be a lot of bad things in life, but also, a lot of good things. It's important that you focus on the good things. If I had dwelled too long on losing my leg, I might never have married your mother or had you two."_

"_That's true," Misty agrees, "and you two are the best decisions that we ever made."_

"_Did something bad happen?" Phoenix asks curiously, "is that why we're here talking about good stuff and bad stuff?"_

"_No no," Misty shakes her head._

"_It's just that…" Ash begins, but pauses, searching for the right words, "life has a way of throwing curveballs. We are really happy right now, and I want us to stay this way. But, anything could happen and things could change. It just seems like something we should talk about since you're getting older."_

"_Yeah, I suppose," Phoenix shrugs._

"_You know your mom and I love you very much, right?" Ash asks, putting his arm around his son and pulling him into a side hug._

"_Yeah, dad," Phoenix smiles and nods, leaning into his father's warm embrace, "I love you too."_

* * *

Phoenix: Charmeleon, Fletchinder, Luxio, Mankey, Pichu, Sandshrew, Kabuto, Psyduck, Oddish, Rattata, Nidoran

Ferra: Alolan Vulpix, Cubone, Clefairy.

Austin: Charmeleon, Bellsprout, unknown

* * *

I hope you are enjoying it! I've thought of a new, improved plot, so I'm still ironing the details in my outline. It is going to be really good. :)

We are finally experiencing some of the actual plot rather than just the backstory!

Question: Do you like the title 'Rise of Phoenix' or would 'The Obsidian Prophecy' be a better title? I didn't have a name for the prophecy until this chapter came up, but I kind of like how it sounds. Might attract more readers. Let me know your thoughts. Be aware the title might change.

The souleater in my Obsidian Prophecy is inspired by Alduin from Skyrim, and the past piece was inspire by Dr. Who's quote "The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don't always spoil the good things and make them unimportant."

Thanks for reading!

Love, Alert, Review!


	8. Mari

**Welcome back! **

A/N: I was really tired of saying "Austin's Charmeleon" so I gave him a name - Kuro. I'll go back and change it in the other chapters soon. Also, there's a second reason I named him; read on!

* * *

**Part 8**

"This place is endless!" Austin groans as he plants himself on a nearby rock. His Charmeleon stands next to him scratching his head. Charvo stands with Raichu between Ferra and Phoenix. The light from the flames on their tails are the only source of light in the cave. Beyond ten feet, nothing but darkness is visible.

"It's not endless, we're just lost." Ferra rolls her eyes and moans, "I've seen the same rock formation five times now. I feel like we've been here for weeks!"

"It would help if we could see better," Phoenix inputs, "it's so dark."

"It would help if we had a better guide," Ferra says under her breath.

"I heard that!" Austin screeches, standing up to face her.

"Get over yourself," Ferra shakes her head and flicks him across the forehead.

"What's that?" Phoenix interjects, looking out into the darkness of the cave.

"What's what?" Ferra asks, peering around Phoenix to look where he directs.

In the distant darkness, a small flickering flame can be seen swaying back and forth.

"Let's follow it!" Austin suggests.

"What if it's dangerous?" Ferra asks wearily.

"Better than wandering in circles!" Phoenix exclaims, pulling his backpack over his shoulder and dashing off with Charvo on his heels. Ferra, Austin, and Raichu chase after them.

The light flickers as it turns a corner.

"Hey!" Phoenix shouts, trying to catch up, "wait up!"

"Phoenix!" Ferra whines as the rest of the team struggle to keep up.

"Hrumph," She grunts as she runs straight into Phoenix who had stopped in his tracks. Austin follows from behind.

"Sorry," he murmurs.

"What is it?" Ferra peers around his shoulder and finds the flickering light attached to the tail of a small orange reptile.

"A Charmander," Phoenix grins at the sight and kneels to the ground.

"Char?" the wild Pokemon pauses to look at the group of humans questioningly.

"Hey little fellow," Phoenix greets it.

"Charmeleon," Kuro waves an orange claw; offering friendship.

"Char," it turns its nose up and dashes away.

"Charmeleon!" Charvo watches, shocked that the Pokemon had so rudely left.

"Let's go after it!" Austin exclaims. "Wild Charmander are really rare!"

"That's true," Phoenix shrugs and takes off after it.

The team runs after the flickering light in the distance.

"This way!" Phoenix jumps over a boulder.

They follow the light down a corridor, around a corner, and lower into the cave.

"Where is it going?" Austin whines after a few solid minutes of running.

"As long as we aren't going in circles anymore, I'm alright with it." Ferra laughs lightly.

Suddenly, the light disappears.

"What happened?" Austin asks, looking around into the darkness.

"It got away," Phoenix sighs and shakes his head.

"Wait," Ferra pauses, looking to her left, "I see more light."

"Oh! I do too!" Austin exclaims excitedly.

"Maybe it's the exit?" Ferra suggests.

"Only one way to find out!" Phoenix says as he runs towards it.

Before they reach the doorway where the light is emitting from, they hear a pitchy screeching sound.

"It's the Charmander!" Ferra shouts worriedly.

"Uh," Phoenix breathes as he races towards the sound.

When they enter the room, they find a half a dozen torches hung on the wall, lighting up the area.

"Wow," Ferra gasps as she looks around the new room. Covering the walls are carvings and paintings. The three are amazed by the pictures.

"This is the cavern I visited with my father when I was young," Phoenix realizes.

"Hey!" a voice wakes them from their awe, "what are you kids doing here?"

"Team Rocket!" Ferra shouts back, observing the two men wearing all black grunt uniforms.

"Now wait just a moment," the taller of the two remarks, "I think I know who these runts are."

"Charmander," a weak voice sounds from the corner behind them.

"Shut your trap," the small man screams at it.

"Stop it!" Phoenix asserts boldly.

"Why should I, _Master_ Ketchum?" the taller man mocks.

"Because it's scared of you!" Ferra yells at him. "Leave it alone!"

"Alright fine," the small man steps towards the team, "how about instead you hand over the Obsidian Stone? We know that you found it in Mt. Moon a few weeks ago. We've been following you since. Thought you'd show up here eventually."

Phoenix grits his teeth at the question, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, maybe a Pokemon battle will jog your memory," the two approach, pulling Pokeballs out of their pockets.

"Go Arbok!"

"Go Raticate!"

The large rat and cobra emerge from their Pokeballs and screech at the team.

"Raichu?" Raichu questions at Phoenix's side.

"Not this time," Phoenix answers, "I think I can handle these assholes."

"Let me help!" Ferra requests, pulling a ball from her bag, "go, Marowak!"

A brown bodied, bipedal Pokemon appears wearing a large skull that masks its facial features. It grunts and wields a bone as a club.

"Go, Primeape!" Phoenix tosses his ball and Primeape, a larger evolved form of Mankey, appears snorting and shuffling.

"Aw you guys!" Austin whines, "what about me?"

"You'll get your chance next time," Ferra rolls her eyes.

"What kind of family squabble did we walk into?" the small man asks his taller comprade.

"Whatever," the other rolls his eyes, "attack!"

The Arbok and Raticate race towards the group.

"Bonemerang at Arbok!"

"Karate chop Raticate!"

Ferra and Phoenix give their orders at the same time.

Arbok is smacked across the forehead as it lunges towards Marowak. The attack causes it to retreat momentarily and use Poison Sting from afar. However, Marowak follows up with a heabutt.

Raticate moves in for a quick attack, but Primeape jumps and dodges. The Rocket orders a hyper fang which connects and knocks Primeape back. Primeape retaliates with a mega kick which sends Raticate flying. It catches the ground quickly and turns on its heel. As Raticate jumps towards Primeape for another Hyper Fang, Phoenix orders a karate chop. Primeape slams her hand into Raticates face, connecting with its large buck teeth; causing a chip to form in one. The Raticate cries in pain.

Arbok moves in to bite Primeape, but Primeape uses a mega punch to send it flying into a wall, knocking it out. Marowak clubs Raticate across the head and it falls backward, fainted.

"Alright!" Ferra cheers. Marowak and Primeape jump up and cheer with her as they are returned to their Pokeballs.

"You lost," Phoenix crosses his arms over his chest, "now leave this place."

"I don't think so," the smaller man steps forward, pulling another Pokeball from his pocket, "let's go, Weavile!"

"Charvo," Phoenix throws a fist forward and looks to his starter, "let's make this quick."

"Char!" Charvo gestures a salute towards his trainer and moves to face his opponent.

Weavile stands opposite of Charvo in a fighting stance.

"Slash!" the Rocket commands.

In a flash, Weavile slashes its sharp claws across Charvo's face causing Charvo to screech in pain.

"Hey!" Phoenix shouts angrily, "that was uncalled for!"

"Grow up, kid," the Rocket sneers..

"Charvo, flamethrower!" Phoenix orders before Weavile can strike again.

"Quick attack!" the Rocket orders Weavile who dodges past the fire and slams into Charvo throwing him across the cavern.

"Thought you were all that, huh boy?" the tall Rocket snickers.

"Just warming up," Phoenix grits his teeth and tries to think up a plan. It would be easy to switch out Charvo for Raichu, but he's up for the challenge. "Are you alright to continue?"

"Charmeleon!" Charvo nods, taking up a more serious attitude.

"Night Slash!" the Rocket orders.

"Smokescreen!" Phoenix commands.

Before Weavile can land an attack, the already dark room is blackened further by the smoke that pours from Charmeleon's jaws.

"Weavile?" the foe questions.

"Flamethrower!" Phoenix says.

"Meleon!" Charmeleon blows a pillar of fire forward through the smoke, directly scorching Weavile who yells out in surprise. The rest of the smoke clears quickly.

"Icy wind!" the Rocket orders. Weavile conjures a brisk wind that scrapes across Charvo's rough skin.

"Finish this with a dragon rush!" Phoenix commands.

Charvo's aura glows a deep purple as he races towards Weavile.

"Dodge it!" the Rocket screeches as Charvo approaches.

"Catch it and seismic toss!" Phoenix speaks quickly causing Charvo to change course on a dime.

Charvo grabs Weavile's foot as it tries to leap away. Then, he spins in a circle, dragging Weavile through the air and then slams it down as hard as it can.

"Weavile!" the Rocket screams in surprise.

"Weav," it mutters weakly in response.

The small rocket grunts as he returns Weavile to its ball.

"Let's get out of here," the taller rocket shakes his head at the turn of events and leaves the cave.

"Don't think you'll be so lucky next time," the small rocket growls at them as he follows after his teammate.

"Way to go Charvo!" Phoenix cheers when the rockets are out of sight, "I knew you could do it!"

Charvo, Primeape, Marowak, Raichu, and Kuro cheer together.

"Charmander!" the little lizard's voice cuts through the cheers of the excited Pokemon.

"Char?" Charvo questions, looking over the smaller lizard. The group parts so that they can all see it.

"Char Charmander Char," it smiles as it waves its arms excitedly.

"Charmeleon," Kuro greets it, but the small lizard bypasses him and walks straight up to Charvo.

"Charrrr," it rubs its head up against Charvo's neck causing Charvo to blush.

"I think he is thanking Charvo for helping," Austin observes.

Ferra giggles, "I think _she's _more than grateful."

"She?" Phoenix asks, surprised.

"Woman's intuition," Ferra laughs again.

"Charmeleon," Charvo pulls away from the Charmander, embarrassed by the affection.

"Charmander?" she questions as he races away from her.

"Come on Charvo," Ferra implores, "she just likes you."

"Charmeleon!" he runs away, towards Phoenix.

Charmander's demeanor drops visibly at the rejection.

"Oh hey hey!" Ferra steps quickly towards Charmander, "it's alright. He's just an immature boy."

"Char?" she questions, looking up at the new face.

"You've grown up here, right?" Ferra asks the little lizard who nods in response. "You probably know a lot of others of your kind, yes?"

"Charmander," she nods again.

"Well," Ferra starts, "my friend Charvo, as amazing as he is, has never met a girl of his own kind."

"Char?" she questions, peering over at the still embarrassed Charvo scratching his head.

"Yes, really!" Ferra giggles.

"Whoa, you guys," Austin calls from the other side of the room, "look here!"

Phoenix and Ferra walk over to Austin while their Pokemon follow behind.

"This mural must be from the Obsidian Prophecy like Bill said," Austin concluded, looking up at a picture carved into the wall.

"Yes," Phoenix looks at it in awe, "I remember seeing it when I was a kid."

"What does it mean?" Ferra asks, pointing up at a carving of Raichu and The Darkness.

"Professors think that Raichu is the Pokemon of light who can destroy The Darkness," Phoenix shares what he knows.

"Rai rai!" Raichu releases a few static bolts in response.

"What is The Darkness, anyway?" Austin asks.

"No one really knows," Phoenix sighs.

"If you look closely at the carving it looks almost draconic," Ferra observes.

"What do you mean?" Phoenix asks. "It just looks like a shadow to me."

"Look here," Ferra points up at The Darkness, "looks like wings and a tail."

"I suppose," Phoenix shrugs, "hopefully we never have to find out."

"Hopefully we can get out of this cave someday," Austin groans when he remembers how long they've been stuck in the darkness.

"Hey Charmander," Ferra turns to the little lizard, "do you think you could show us the exit?"

"Charmander!" she nods and scampers towards the main cavern.

"Come on!" Ferra waves them on, also returning Marowak.

"Hold up!" Phoenix requests as he returns Primeape to her Pokeball and jogs after Ferra and Charmander.

Not a five minute jog later, the team finally sees natural sunlight flittering into the dark cavern.

"Yes!" Austin yells excitedly as he bursts past his friends and beats them to the outside world.

"I feel like it's been weeks since I felt the sun on my skin!" Ferra exclaims, holding her arms out to soak in the warmth of the day.

"Charmander!" the little lizard copies Ferra's actions, stretching her small limbs out.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Ferra asks her.

"Char char!" she nods.

"I think I will call Mr. Roque and update him on what we know about Team Rocket," Phoenix decides, stepping off to the side.

"Then I think it's a good time for some rest!" Austin plops down on the grass next to the main trail.

Ferra hesitates momentarily, but resides to sit criss crossed not too far away; watching Phoenix speak to Mr. Roque on his phone. Raichu curls up in the grass alongside her, his slender tail wraps around his body.

Their attention flickers to the two Chameleons who have not been returned to their Pokeballs yet.

"Char char," Kuro waves a claw, gesturing to Charvo.

"Charmeleon," Charvo responds, taking a firm stance.

The two lizards pose to fight. They appear strikingly similar besides one being a deep red and the other pastel orange.

"You have to do this right now?" Austin groans, sitting up. "Can't this wait until after we go to a Pokemon center?"

Simultaneously, the two lizards release a fiery flamethrower and a purple dragon pulse at each other.

"Charmander?" Charmander chirps curiously.

"They do this sometimes," Ferra sighs, resting her arms across her knees, "act like squabbling siblings."

As if on cue, the two lizards lock claws in a battle of strength.

"Charmander!" Charmander scampers over to the two warring lizards.

She waves, trying to gain their attention, but the two are too engrossed in their fight.

"Char char char!" She yammers.

"Charmeleon!" Charvo finally snaps, and turns his head her way, a flame burning in his eyes.

"Char?" Kuro backs away from the fight and looks down at the smaller lizard.

"Charmeleon!" Charvo urges his opponent to fight.

However, Kuro chooses to nudge his head against the smaller lizard affectionately instead.

"Aw looks like Kuro likes Charmander!" Ferra squeals girlishly.

"Makes sense," Austin sits up and shrugs.

"Why?" Ferra asks.

"Why what?" Austin furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

"Why does it make sense?" Ferra questions.

Austin pauses, staring at his hands, "um, he is a cool Pokemon?"

Ferra shakes her head, "you're a strange boy, Austin."

"Charmeleon," Charvo huffs when he realizes his match is over.

"Charmander, char char mander!" The little lizard flails her claws, catching Charvo's eye.

"Charmeleon, char," Charvo shakes his head.

"Charmander!" she responds by blowing a flame straight into Charvo's face.

Charvo shakes off the fire and soot, and then raises his brow.

"What is she doing?" Ferra asks incredulously.

"Char!" She takes a fighting stance.

Charvo follows suit.

"Looks like she has something to prove," Phoenix reappears with a smirk on his face. "She has a fire in her belly."

Suddenly, their claws are locked, and their gazes fierce.

They push evenly against one another momentarily, but Charvo's strength proves too much and he throws her across the trail path.

"Don't go too hard, Charvo," Phoenix asserts nervously.

"Charmeleon!" Charvo roars victoriously.

"Charmander!" The persistent little lizard screeches and blows a spout of fire directly at Charvo.

Charvo leaps out of the way and circles around her. When he is close enough, he rams his body against her sending her flying again.

"That's enough you two," Phoenix waves his arm to make them stop.

Charmander winces as she pulls herself off the ground.

"Are you okay?" Ferra asks, running to kneel next to her.

"Char.." Charmander pulls herself up shakily, "mander!"

As she yells her name, her body begins to glow a brilliant white. Her small body grows nearly twice its size.

"No way!" Ferra breathes in awe.

When the light fades, her new shining red scales are revealed to everyone.

"Charmeleon!" she shouts her new name confidently.

"Char?" Charvo asks curiously, watching the events unfold.

"Char," a glint shines in the newly evolved Charmeleon's eyes.

"Charmeleon," Charvo smirks in response.

In a flash, the two are claw to claw, testing each other's strength.

"Look at that," Phoenix chuckles to himself, "she's a fighter."

"I think she has something to prove," Ferra concludes.

"Charmeleon?" Kuro scratches his head in confusion.

"They're a good match," Austin smiles as the two Charmeleons push and shove each other.

"Hey, what did Mr. Roque have to say?" Ferra asks Phoenix.

"Oh yeah," Phoenix perks up, "He was grateful for the information I gave him about the Obsidian Stone. Said it would help him in his fight to stop them."

"It's a good thing we met the dude," Austin says.

"Oh and he mentioned a huge celebration happening in Fuschia in two months. It's a celebration of Kanto's greatest trainers. He said they would be honoring my parents." Phoenix shares, wearily, "I'd like to go."

"That should be fun," Austin asks, "but what should we do until then?"

"I still need six badges," Phoenix says, "and we could still hit Saffron, Vermillion, and Celadon before we get there."

The wild Charmeleon collapses at Charvo's feet, causing the three humans and their Pokemon to look their way.

"Char," she murmurs weakly.

"Charmeleon, meleon," Charvo says, extending a claw down to help her up.

She looks up at him and accepts his gesture, climbing back to her feet.

"Char," Charvo holds her claw tight and shakes it, showing his approval.

"Charmeleon!" Kuro claps his claws together in excitement.

"You're pretty awesome, Charmeleon!" Phoenix praises her.

"Charmeleon!" she chirps gratefully.

"I suppose we should get going," Phoenix suggests, "if we want to stay in Lavender Town tonight instead of camping out."

"Char!" Charvo agrees, ready to continue their adventure. The two start to dash down the trail; away from The Rock Tunnel. Austin and Kuro follow after them.

"But what about Charmeleon?" Ferra turns back towards the wild Charmeleon who stays near the cave entrance. Her friends are already too far to hear her question.

"Char?" she asks curiously.

"It was lovely to meet you," Ferra says, kneeling next to Charmeleon, "I don't want to ask you to leave your home here in the cave, but I was wondering if you wanted to come with us."

Charmeleon pauses thoughtfully.

"Meleon char char meleon?" She asks, pointing a claw towards the rest of the group.

Ferra's eyes follow in the direction she points, "you want to know if we'll be going with Charvo and Kuro?"

"Char," she nods affirmatively.

"Yes," Ferra tells her, "Phoenix, Charvo's trainer, is my best friend. I'll travel with him for as long as he'll let me."

"Charmeleon," she smiles and nods at Ferra in agreement.

"You know, I know what it's like to follow a boy around," Ferra chuckles, pulling a Pokeball out, "these boys are worth it though."

Ferra presses the Pokeball against Charmeleon's forehead and she is absorbed into it.

"Let's go, Ferra!" Phoenix yells from down the path.

"Coming!" she shouts back, running to catch up with them.

"Did she join you?" Phoenix asks with a smile.

"She did," Ferra nods, satisfied.

"What will you call her?" Austin asks.

"A name?" Ferra stops thoughtfully.

"Of course!" Austin presses, "if we have three Charmeleons in our group, they all need names!"

"I hate to say it, but you're right." Ferra admits.

"Do you have any ideas?" Phoenix asks.

Ferra walks along with them, pondering her ideas.

Then she raises a finger with an epiphany, "I will call her Mari."

"Mari?" Phoenix questions, "I like it. Sounds good. Charvo, Kuro, and Mari. The fearsome three!"

"Fearsome is right!" Ferra smirks, challengingly, "Mari will be a good match for Charvo."

Phoenix pauses to watch her carefully. She winks at him and bumps against him.

"I think so too," Phoenix grins. Both understand the implications being drawn.

"You guys are the worst," Austin shakes his head, and then runs far ahead with Kuro.

Phoenix and Ferra turn to each other and grin. Then, to Ferra's surprise, Phoenix extends his hand and caresses her fingers until she allows him to entwine his with hers.

* * *

_In the courtyard of Indigo Plateau, guests dressed in fanciful wear and ornate jewelry make their way through the gates and up the marble staircase. Their Pokemon follow their trainers, while some of the larger Pokemon take a path around to the back. Guards and bouncers check each guest's invitation. _

"_May I see your invitation?" the bouncer asks._

"_If you insist," the guest replies with a smirk, handing the invitation to him._

_The bouncer checks it quickly and then quickly checks his and his guest's faces, "I'm sorry, Master and Mrs. Ketchum, I'm having a difficult time seeing in the dark."_

"_Not a problem," Ash smiles and claps the bouncer's arm in reassurance. _

"_Of course, make your way to the head table," the bouncer opens the door for them. _

_Inside the mansion, Ash and Misty are escorted to the grand ballroom where the party is raging._

"_Are you sure we should be out tonight?" Misty asks him, seemingly in distress._

"_Yes, dear," Ash replies, pulling her towards the head table, "Lance said it was very important."_

"_It's just that River just got over her cold and Phoenix has camp tomorrow," Misty tries to reason._

_Ash turns back to her and smiles sympathetically, "Mist, you know that my mom can handle it. She raised me, you know."_

"_I know, Ash," she sighs, squeezing his hand, "It's just, you know that I've been tired lately."_

_Ash turns to her and smiles knowingly. He then grazes his fingers across her arms and down to her sides._

"_I only asked you to come because Lance personally requested both of us be here," Ash explains, kissing her forehead._

_When they approach the table, Ash pulls out a chair for Misty who graciously sits down. The table is filled with beautiful decorations and delicious appetizers. _

"_Ash," a man with fiery red hair wearing a cape approaches and reaches out a hand._

"_Lance," Ash takes his hand in a firm grip._

"_I look forward to speaking with you and your lovely wife later this evening," he says, looking seriously into Ash's eyes and clapping their joined hand with his spare._

"_I am as well," Ash gives him a questioning look._

_Lance pulls away and bows to Misty, "good to see you, Mrs. Ketchum."_

"_You too, Lance," Misty smiles._

_Lance nods and turns on his heel to walk away without another word._

"_That was strange," Misty concludes from her seat._

_Ash pulls out his chair and sits next to his wife._

"_It was," Ash nods slowly, looking down at his hands. _

_Within them lies a note that Lance had secretly placed in his during their handshake._

'_At a quarter past seven, meet in conference room C. Bring only Misty. Be discreet' It reads._

_After reading it himself, he reaches his hand under the table and places the note in Misty's hand. She looks at him questioningly, but takes the note and looks down briefly to read it._

_She then looks at him, confused by the note. Ash only shugs, not knowing anymore about it that she._

_After a wonderful dinner and a toast from the Pokemon League President, the clock reads 7:10pm. _

_Ash leans over his chair and whispers to his wife, "it's time dear."_

_Misty nods and allows Ash to pull her chair out and help her up. _

"_Act like you're drunk," Misty whispers to him, "people won't look twice."_

_As he was instructed, Ash wraps an arm around her shoulders and pretends to lean on her. Together they limp away from the ballroom to the halls leading to the business section of the mansion. Other people give them strange and sympathetic looks and giggle as they pass by. _

_Once around the hall's corner, Ash straightens up and brushes his clothes off metaphorically._

"_Let's see," Ash looks around the door numbers, "Conference room A is here, so let's keep walking."_

"_What do you think this is about, Ash?" Misty asks, pondering the possibilities._

"_I really don't know, Mist," he shakes his head, "but it seems serious."_

"_There it is," Misty points to the door labeled 'Conference Room C'._

"_Let's find out," Ash says, reaching for the door._

_Inside the room, Ash and Misty find a round table where the Elites sit with Lance. They stand when Ash and Misty enter._

"_Close the door," Lance demands._

_Ash nods and closes it behind them_

"_It is good to see you," Lance begins, "but it's unfortunate it is under such circumstances."_

"_What is it?" Ash asks boldly. "It must be bad to warrant such caution."_

"_It is," Lorelei nods, "It seems that we have a traitor in our mists, which is why we are using this league party as a front to meet."_

"_A traitor?" Misty asks, alarmed at the thought. "But what is there to betray?"_

"_I hate to be the bearer of bad news," Lance sighs, also upset, "but it appears that Team Rocket has regrown under new leadership."_

"_No," Ash grits his teeth in anger. Misty gasps; one hand slapping over her mount and another over her stomach to quell the sickening feeling._

_Lance pauses, understanding Ash's discomfort. _

"_But they disbanded over twelve years ago," Ash breathes heavily at the thought of their return._

"_It's worse than we expected though," Lance finally continues, "it seems that it has been rebuilt by the original leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni."_

"_He disbanded it over twenty years ago!" Misty exclaims. "Why would he rebuild it?"_

"_The reasons are not clear to us," Lance confessed, "but we found a virus hack in our computer systems. We were able to determine that it was installed from within the walls, but only employees are allowed on the computers in Indigo Plateau. Luckily, we found it and were able to reverse it to find out that Team Rocket is responsible for placing it."_

"_What does he want with the Pokemon league?" Misty asks._

"_Me," Ash concludes, "they want revenge on me."_

"_We don't know that necessarily," Lorelei argues._

"_I do," Ash speaks grimly, "it's my fault his daughter is dead."_

_The circle of Elite are silent at Ash's declaration._

"_But why would they come after the Pokemon League just to get to you?" Lance asks. "It has to be bigger than that."_

"_Maybe," Ash sighs, "but what could it be after so many years of silence?"_

"_That's what we need to find out," Lance concludes. "And we might need your help."_

_The conversation draws on for a while and ends with an agreement to meet again in secret in a week's time to talk more about the issue. _

_The car ride home is silent. Neither Ash nor Misty can find the words to share._

_When they arrive home, they find Delia who smiles and hugs them, and tells them their two beautiful children are sleeping soundly before leaving to her own home._

_Ash links his hand with Misty's and leads her up the stairs. At the top platform, they turn right down the hall and open two doors across from one another._

"_They sleep so soundly," Misty says, wrapping her arms around her body. Phoenix sleeps with Raichu at the foot of his bed while River cuddles with Splash._

"_Good," Ash says, "they don't need to know anything about what's begun."_

"_What are we going to do?" Misty asks worriedly._

_Ash pauses to look between his two sleeping children. He places a hand over his face and rubs it. Then he looks at his wife's beautiful face and smiles sadly._

"_Tread carefully."_

* * *

Phoenix: Charmeleon, Fletchinder, Luxio, Primeape, Pichu, Sandshrew, Kabuto, Psyduck, Oddish, Rattata, Nidoran

Ferra: Alolan Vulpix, Marowak, Clefairy, Charmeleon

Austin: Charmeleon, Bellsprout

* * *

I hope you enjoyed!

Call me crazy, but I LOVE Charmander and evolutions! Lol!

I have been working on this on and off while rewatching Merlin, so I'm sorry if there are grammar mistakes. I got a little distracted!

Let me know!

Love, Alert Review!


	9. Games

**Welcome back!** Sorry that it has been a while. I am an elementary teacher, and, as you know, the world is distance learning right now. It hasn't been an easy transition, needless to say. I have spent so many hours per day on the computer that I haven't wanted to spend time writing. I hope that I find more time as I get used to my new role.

Also, I hope you are all well and staying healthy.

* * *

**Part 9**

"Charvo!" Phoenix gasps as his Charmeleon is tossed across the battlefield.

The fight hadn't taken long. The referees declared a one on one battle, and Charvo was quickly surprised by the abilities of his opponent.

"Kadabra, psybeam." The gym leader known as Sabrina, orders her psychic Pokemon

The Pokemon disappears momentarily and then reappears behind Charvo. .

"Char!" Charvo screeches as he dodges out of the way of the powerful beam.

"Flamethrower!" Phoenix requests urgently.

"Disable." Sabrina's voice is unconcerned and smooth. Kadabra raises its spoons, and its eyes glow blue.

"Char?" Charvo coughs out a dark cloud of smoke. He is confused when his flamethrower doesn't work.

"Psychic," Sabrina orders. Kadabra's psychic abilities lift Charvo off the ground and slam him back to the ground.

"No!" Phoenix growls as his Pokemon disappears beneath the dust.

"Not every battle can be so easily won, Mr. Ketchum." Sabrina states as the dust clears to reveal Charvo knocked out on the ground.

"Charvo!" Phoenix runs across the battlefield to his friend.

"Your Charmeleon is very strong," Sabrina complements, "but if this is the first time you've faced psychic types, you will need to rethink your strategy."

Phoenix returns Charvo to his Pokeball. His eyes cast downward. This is the first complete loss he has faced so far.

"I will welcome your challenge again tomorrow, Mr. Ketchum," Sabrina bows to him out of respect and then exits the arena.

"She is amazing!" Austin exclaims as he runs out to where Phoenix stands on the field. "So chill!"

"Yeah," Phoenix's shoulders slump.

Ferra approaches and wraps an arm around his shoulder, "you know, people don't usually win the Marsh Badge until they have earned at least five or six badges. Besides, most people lose to gym leaders the first time. That's why they're the gym leaders and we're the trainers."

"Yeah," Phoenix groans softly, "it just stings a bit."

"Rai Raichu Raichu," Raichu chirped.

"I know dad lost a lot of gym battles," Phoenix chuckled at the large mouse.

"Are you really understanding him that much better?" Ferra asks, eyeing the large rodent.

"I don't know. Sometimes I just have a feeling about what he's saying and I take a guess."

"Seems like a good guess," Austin laughs heartily.

"We should probably get Charvo to the Pokemon Center," Phoenix says, putting the ball back on his belt.

* * *

"Your Charmeleon is feeling much better, Mr. Ketchum," Nurse Joy smiles as she hands Phoenix his tray of Pokeballs.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," Phoenix nods gratefully and returns to his friends who wait on the couch in the lounge area.

"What's next, Phoenix?" Austin asks curiously.

"I think of a good strategy and challenge Sabrina again tomorrow!" Phoenix states determinedly.

"And this is just going to come to you, I suppose?" Ferra grins, knowing that Phoenix will figure it out.

"Well, I don't know yet," Phoenix laughs sheepishly, "I have time to figure it out."

"Oh my Mew! It's QT!" a shrill female voice sends shivers through the trio's spines causing them to turn to investigate.

"Yes, it is I, QT," another platinum blonde girl, dressed in a fabulous display of flashy designs, says while flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"QT?" Phoenix watches in confusion at the exchange.

"She looks familiar," Ferra cocks her head to the side, trying to figure it out.

"Can I pretty please have your autograph?" the fan girl asks with starry eyes.

"Yes," the girl called QT signs a slip of paper that the fan girl holds out, "remember to always believe in beauty!"

"Thank you! I will!" The girl dashes off, clutching the autograph to her chest.

QT turns to look around the Pokemon Center and spots Phoenix. They lock eyes, and Phoenix immediately recognizes her. The girl shrieks quietly and turns away quickly.

"Wait a minute!" Phoenix leaps over the couch to catch her before she can leave the room.

"Oh uh, another fan?" the girl asks, pulling a pen from her pocket. "What do you want me to sign?"

"Not quite, Quinny," Phoenix smirks as he pulls the fake glasses off her face.

"Phoenix, shut up!" She reaches out and covers his mouth, looking around to check if anyone heard him.

"BMUM QUI!" Phoenix mumbles under her hand.

"OH GROSS," she pulls her hand away quickly, "you licked my hand!"

"You wouldn't take it off my mouth!" Phoenix argues.

"Just stop," the girl shushes him and grabs his arm, "come talk in my room."

"Wait, wait," Phoenix complains as she drags him away, "my friends!"

"Bring them!" she exclaims as she turns on her heels and walks towards the rented rooms.

The three follow quickly, trying to keep up. When they reach the room, the girl slams the door behind them.

"You almost blew my cover! I'd be recognized in Kanto!" she screeches at Phoenix, pulling the platinum hair off her head revealing her brown hair slicked back in a wig cap.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Phoenix asks, bewildered by her sudden anger towards him.

"Just because you prance around claiming your daddy's name doesn't mean I have to." She crosses her arms in annoyance.

"Quinn," Phoenix grabs her shoulders and looks her in the eyes, "for the love of Arceus, just talk normally, please."

"I don't want to succeed because I am an Oak." Quinn finally states. "I play my own game."

"And I almost outed your secret identity?" Phoenix asks, dropping his arms from her shoulders.

"Can someone explain what's happening?" Austin requests, baffled by the scene occuring.

"Where are my manners?" Quinn takes a deep breath.

"Did you ever have any?" Ferra questions, causing Phoenix to shoot her a curious glance.

"I'm going to ignore that," Quinn rolls her eyes, "and start over."

"I'm Quinn Oak," she introduces herself with a little showy bow.

"I'm Austin," Austin waves happily at her.

"Hi cutie," Quinn purrs, kissing his cheek quickly.

"Woah," Austin falls away, shocked by the affection.

"Uh, okay," Phoenix scratches his head over Austin's reaction, "and you might remember Ferra."

"Ferra?" Quinn asks, looking her up and down. "Of course! Phoenix's little girlfriend."

The comment causes the blunette to fume.

Phoenix notices that Ferra is set off by Quinn and decides it best to play on her good side.

"Actually," Phoenix hesitantly reaches out to grasp Ferra's hand, "yes."

Ferra's eyes snap back to look at his face and soften.

"Yes what?" Quinn asks curiously, a sparkle appearing in her eye.

"Yes she is my girlfriend," Phoenix states as confidently as he can, but falters, "kind of."

Quinn looks between Phoenix and Ferra and bursts out laughing.

"What?" Phoenix asks nervously.

"She can't be 'kind of' your girlfriend," Quinn explains, "she is or she isn't."

Ferra is about to comment and tell Phoenix it's okay not to answer when he surprises her.

"What do you know about any of this? You're like fourteen." Phoenix defends himself. "But if it's yes or no, then it's yes, she is my girlfriend."

Ferra can feel the Butterfree fluttering their wings against the inside of her abdomen. A warmth spreads throughout her body at his boldness.

Quinn looks him up and down and smirks.

"Too bad," she shrugs, "you've grown up to be quite a catch. And I'm almost sixteen, thank you."

Before Ferra can respond, Phoenix rolls his eyes, "Quinny, you know you're like a sister to me."

"I know," Quinn winks at him, "but I wasn't lying when I said I play my own game."

"What are you even doing here anyway?" Phoenix asks, changing the subject.

"I was on my way home to visit Pallet," Quin shrugs her shoulders, "I came from Johto on the magnet train. Figured I would stay overnight here since it's almost evening. Who's in a hurry anyway?"

"Don't you think your parents want to see you?" Phoenix asks, knowing that her father misses her dearly.

"Yeah, I admit it has been a while." She shrugs nonchalantly. "What are you up to here in Saffron?"

"I challenged Sabrina today," Phoenix fills her in.

"And lost?" Quinn asks knowingly.

Phoenix huffs at her know-it-all attitude, "so what?"

"Everybody loses to Sabrina on their first try," Quinn explains, "she knows how to surprise new trainers. Just because you're basically royalty in the trainer world, doesn't mean the gym leaders are going to go easy on you."

"I know that," Phoenix bites back, "I just thought that I had a better chance."

"You still have to think of a strategy, Phoenix." Austin reminds him.

"Kadabra was too fast." Phoenix concludes, "Charvo couldn't keep up."

"Maybe it isn't about speed as it is about focus." Ferra ponders aloud.

"Focus?" Phoenix repeats as a question.

"Let's go," Ferra grabs his hand again and begins to pull him towards the door, "we have work to do!"

"Hey! Wait up!" Austin shouts as he races after them.

Quinn watches as they go. After a moment of contemplation, she tears the wig cap off and fluffs her brown hair. She checks her face in the mirror quickly. Then she rolls her eyes at her own decision and leaves the room to catch up with the group.

* * *

"The battle will be a rematch. Phoenix Ketchum of Pallet town challenges the Saffron City Gym Leader, Sabrina." The referee declares, "each trainer shall use one Pokemon each. Begin."

On the gym leader's side, Sabrina gracefully throws her Pokeball to reveal her Kadabra once again.

Phoenix smirks, confident in his strategy. He pulls Charvo's Pokeball off his belt and enlarges it.

"You got this, bud," Phoenix speaks softly. "Go, Charvo!"

Charvo appears flexing his muscles and roaring his name.

"The same Pokemon?" Sabrina asks, surprised, but not shaken. "Then we shall reach the same outcome."

"Charvo, dragon rush!" Phoenix makes the first call.

Charvo races towards Kadabra, glowing a light shade of purple.

"Teleport," Sabrina orders calmly.

"Charvo, 180!" Phoenix shouts out.

Charvo slides across the dirt and turns around in a blink. Just as Phoenix predicted, Kadabra teleports directly behind Charvo to prepare an attack.

"Dragon rush!"

Charvo slams his entire body into Kadabra, sending it streaking across the dirt field.

"Kadabra!" Sabrina's nonchalant demeanor snaps as she witnesses her Pokemon hit the ground.

"Kadabra," it shakes off the hit and pulls itself onto its feet.

"So you learned a new game." Sabrina smirks when she sees that Kadabra can continue, "I'm ready to play,"

"Kaaaadaaabra!" It yells out.

"We've got this, Charvo!" Phoenix encourages.

Charvo stands facing Kadabra, prepared to continue.

"Psychic!" Sabrina orders.

Kadabra's eyes glow blue and it holds out the spoons it grips tightly to. Charvo falters, looking back at Phoenix.

"Don't fight it!" Phoenix calls out.

Kadabra's powers lift Charvo up in the air. Charvo startles momentarily, but then calms his body down. Kadabra uses its psychic power to throw Charvo across the room. However, Charvo is prepared and lands gracefully; immediately catching the dirt with his back claws.

"Dragon rush again!" Phoenix cries.

Charvo takes off towards Kadabra at full speed.

"Teleport!" Sabrina shouts, now fully invested in the battle.

"Stop and focus!" Phoenix orders a quick change.

The battle field fills with silence as Charvo closes his eyes and stops in the center.

Ferra lets out a soft gasp as tension grows. Austin remains a silent observer.

Phoenix watches closely, every muscle in his body tensed.

"Psybeam!" Sabrina orders suddenly.

"Kada!" Kadabra appears to Charvo's right and prepares a strong blast of psychic power.

However, Charvo beats it to it and blasts a flamethrower directly at Kadabra's face. The fire throws Kadabra backwards.

Everyone in the room watches intensely, wondering if Kababra will get back up.

"Recover," Sabrina orders, once again calm and in control.

"Kadabra," it mutters as a shining light momentarily flashes across its body. Then it slowly pulls itself to its knees.

"This is my game, Mr. Ketchum," Sabrina smirks, "and although you are proving to be a fierce opponent, you won't win easily."

"Charvo, dragon rush!" Phoenix orders quickly, trying to take the advantage again.

"Teleport," Sabrina says calmly once again.

This time, Kadabra teleports to the other end of the gym.

Phoenix finds himself growling in frustration. Charvo pauses when he hears Phoenix.

"Char?" he asks, concerned.

"I'm fine, buddy," Phoenix tries to reassure him, "you're doing great! Just do your best!"

"Char," Charvo sets his eyes towards Kadabra, a new determined look forms across his face.

"You can do it, Charvo!" Ferra yells out from the sidelines. Austin, Quinn, Raichu, Kuro and Mari cheer him on.

"Chaaaaaaaaar!" Charvo cries out and releases a massive flamethrower in Kadabra's direction. Kadabra teleports to the other side of the gym and begins shooting beams of psychic energy Charvo's way.

Caught in rage, Charvo dashes towards Kadabra in a fiery sprint, dodging Kadabra's beams.

"Charvo!" Phoenix calls out to him, but he doesn't hear.

In a surprising split second change of events, Charvo is airborne, expanding a deep black set of scaly wings forged in flames, and soaring straight for Kadabra.

"Kadabra?" it's eyes widen as it is lifted off the ground and over Charvo's head, then slammed back into the dirt.

"GAHH!" Phoenix's jaw slacks at what he has witnessed. The entire room is silent apart from Charvo's heavy breathing.

"Kadabra is unable to battle," the referee calls after a few moments, "the challenge,r Phoenix Ketchum of Pallet is the winner."

Sabrina gasps softly at the outcome, but quickly pulls a Pokeball out of her pocket and returns kadabra. "You did wonderfully," she tells Kadabra softly.

"Charizard?" Phoenix stares up at the unfamiliar form of his best friend.

Deep, black scales cover the majority of his body, but red scales line the inside of his wings. His belly remains a soft yellow. The flame on the tip of his tail burns fiercely. Charvo looks down at him, standing proudly, and flaunting his new evolution.

"Charvo!" Phoenix cheers as he jumps up and wraps his arms around Charvo's neck.

Charvo roars happily as his trainer hangs from his neck in excitement.

"Charmeleon!" Kuro cries, running up to him. Mari follows close behind.

"That was amazing!" Ferra hugs Phoenix when he finally lets go of Charvo.

"It was all Charvo!" Phoenix beams.

"Way to go, Charvo!" Austin commends.

"I am impressed enough that I might even have to battle Charvo," Quinn crosses her arms snottily, but then winks and laughs.

"Phoenix Ketchum," Sabrina interrupts.

Phoenix lets go of his embrace with Ferra and faces the gym leader, "yes ma'am."

"You have proven to be a worthwhile opponent," she reveals a sincere smile, "and a man I know your parents would have been very proud of. I present to you and your Charizard, the Marsh Badge."

Sabrina extends her hand to reveal the small symbolic trinket.

"Thank you, ma'am," Phoenix nods happily and grabs the badge.

He thumbs it and stares at it momentarily; then whispers, "I got the Marsh Badge."

"Come back again sometime," Sabrina encourages him with a smirk, "when you're ready to face Alakazam."

"You can count on it," Phoenix assures with a smile on his face.

"So where are we going now?" Quinn asks as they leave the gym.

"We?" Ferra asks in surprise.

"Like I said," Quinn shrugs, "I'm in no hurry to get home."

"Your dad won't like it," Phoenix smirks.

"My parents can wait another month or two." Quinn rolls her eyes.

"I, for one, am happy you will be joining us, Quinn!" Austin gushes, holding onto her hand.

"Aw, thanks cutie pie," she giggles and kisses him on the cheek.

"On second thought," Phoenix grabs Ferra's hand and starts to run, pulling her along, "I think we'll go along without you two!"

"Wait up!" Austin yells from a couple dozen feet behind.

Phoenix and Ferra giggle as they dash away from their friends who pick up their pace to keep up.

* * *

"_This is the location that we traced the hacking to," Lance points at a spot northwest of Fuscia City._

"_Is that where their new base is?" Ash asks, his brows furrow over his eyes._

"_It's possible," Lance contemplates, "but it could also be a decoy. The signal could be rerouted."_

"_I think we should check it out," Ash asserts._

_Lance pauses in thought, "Ash, it's all or nothing on this. If it turns out to be their base, it won't be an easy fight."_

"_I'll go," Ash says eagerly, "I can fly over and just look."_

"_It sounds risky, Ash," Lance debates._

"_I have been in riskier situations, Lance," Ash argues._

_Their eyes catch in a silent debate for a few long moments._

"_If I believe in anyone, I believe in Ash Ketchum," Lance nods softly, "just be careful out there."_

"_You've got it."_

* * *

Phoenix: Charizard, Fletchinder, Luxio, Primeape, Pichu, Sandshrew, Kabuto, Psyduck, Oddish, Rattata, Nidoran

Ferra: Alolan Vulpix, Marowak, Clefairy, Charmeleon

Austin: Charmeleon, Bellsprout

* * *

I hope that you enjoyed!

Like I said before, the story skips along quickly. I don't have the time or patience to chronicle every moment. So imagine that they are having adventures and training for weeks/months between chapters. If I wrote everything, I would never get to the main climax!

I'd really appreciate if you would review and let me know what you think!

Love, Alert, Review


	10. Race

**Welcome back! **

I have to admit that this is a little bit of a filler chapter, but I tried to fill it with some humor and foreshadowing. A lot of shorter scenes. I'm working on setting up the climax now! I hope you are all well and enjoy this chapter!

**Part 10**

Pidgeys tweet joyfully in dawn's dew filled bushes. The sun has hardly peaked over the distant horizon when Phoenix carefully pushes his bed covers down his body and slides his legs quietly over the side of the bed. Austin snores in the bunk above and Phoenix doesn't want to wake him by moving too quickly.

_Where is it?_ Phoenix thinks as he rummages through his backpack. _Ahh. _

He pulls a small notebook out with a pen attached. On the next blank page, he writes:

_I have some errands to run this morning. I will be back sometime after lunch. Then we can head to the Celadon gym for my next badge! -Phoenix_

Phoenix peers at Ferra who sleeps peacefully in the lower bunk across the room and smiles softly. Then he rips the paper free of the binding and sets it beside her night stand.

He pulls his pants on over his boxers and changes his shirt. WIthout untying his shoes, he pushes his feet into them, grabs his bag, and quietly leaves their room.

He slowly pulls the door closed and hears a soft click.

"Where do you think you're going?" her voice causes him to freeze and groan internally.

"Quinn, I just have errands to run," Phoenix tries to explain as he turns to walk away from her.

"What kind of errands?" she asks eagerly.

Phoenix rolls his eyes. This was supposed to be a solo mission.

"Just errands," he continues to walk away.

Quinn follows regardless of the fact he is being secretive. "I'm coming with."

_Of course._ He thinks.

"Fine," Phoenix shakes his head in defeat.

Quinn squeals quietly -attempting not to wake anyone in the nearby rooms.

"What are we doing?" She asks.

"I suppose I could use your help." He finally concludes. "Ferra's birthday is in a few weeks. She is turning 18. I wanted to get her a special birthday present while we're in Celadon."

Quinn pauses in thought. "Like special like she is your best friend? Or special like you want her to _actually _be your girlfriend?"

Phoenix stops before they get to the Pokemon Center's doors to exit.

He looks back at her sheepishly and asks, "is there a difference?"

"_Oh Phoenix," _Quinn says dramatically, "you are so lucky you have me."

Her comment makes him groan.

* * *

"Phoenix," Quinn shakes her head at the shirt Phoenix holds up, "this is the girl you like -not your grandma."

"I happen to think it's a nice shirt," Phoenix argues, "look at these frilly sleeves. I think they'd be comfy on a hot day!"

"Forget the clothes, Phoenix." Quinn urges him.

"We have been in three different stores now and I haven't found anything yet!" Phoenix groans impatiently.

"Well, if you would listen to me about the clothes maybe we would have found something by now." Quinn spits.

"Fine, what should I be looking for?" Phoenix asks disdainfully.

Quinn grabs him and turns him around. Then she points and says, "girls like diamonds!"

Phoenix spots the display cases ahead of him that contain jewelry.

"I don't know," he hesitates, "I have never seen Ferra wear any kind of jewelry."

"Just trust me enough to look." Quinn pushes him forward and they make their way over to the display cases.

Phoenix peers into the case at the assortment of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and miscellaneous items.

"That diamond necklace is beautiful!" Quinn gushes at a simple silver necklace with a round diamond.

"That's pretty expensive," Phoenix whispers mostly to himself.

"I know that your parents were well off, Phoenix," Quinn says, "don't you have access to any of their money?"

"Well, yeah," Phoenix scratches his head, "I have a trust fund that my gran controls."

"Can you afford this?" Quinn asks, pointing at the necklace.

"Yes," Phoenix contemplates, "but I don't think it's quite what I want to give her."

"What are you looking for, son?" An older gentleman with a prominent white mustache had been helping another customer, but now appears behind the counter.

Phoenix takes a moment to think and says, "a gift for my best friend who is kind of my girlfriend now?"

Quinn groans at his explanation, "you can't say _kind of'_ your girlfriend."

Phoenix rolls his eyes at her and looks back to the man who leans onto the counter on his elbows.

"Is that the girl?" he asks quietly so she doesn't hear.

"Quinn?" Phoenix laughs at the thought. "No way."

"Good," the man chuckles, "now what kind of girl are we talking about?"

"The simple kind," Phoenix answers immediately, "the kind of girl who doesn't need much. She is nice. She loves being helpful. She doesn't mind camping. She loves Pokemon. She wears jeans and a t-shirt most days."

"Well," the man hums thoughtfully, "I don't think the diamond necklace that your friend likes is what your girl would like."

He walks away and rummages through the drawers behind the counter.

"A girl like that wants a meaningful gift," he explains, pulling a simple silver bracelet from the drawer. Then he pulls out another drawer and pulls it completely out.

"My suggestion, son, is a charm bracelet," he places the bin in front of Phoenix.

The bin is filled to the brim with small charms of different Pokemon.

"Wow," Phoenix says looking through the Pokemon charms, "look at all of them!

"I suppose that sounds like a neat gift," Quinn caves unhappily.

"Come help me find her Pokemon," Phoenix says.

"Fine," she agrees.

They search through the bins and happen to find a Marowak, a Clefary, Poliwhirl, and Charmeleon.

"We just need an Alolan Vulpix," Phoenix tells the man.

"We don't carry Alolan variants on hand," the man explains, "but I can put in a special order for you."

"That would be great!" Phoenix agrees.

"Since I will be placing the special order, do you want anything else? Maybe her name? Your name?" he asks.

"Good idea," Phoenix nods, "Her name is Ferra, F-E-R-R-A, and my name is Phoenix, P-H-O-E-N-I-X"

The man fills out a sheet for the special order and proceeds to attach the three Pokemon to the charm bracelet.

"If you ever need to add Pokemon to the bracelet, you can go to the store's website." He explains.

"Thanks a lot, sir," Phoenix grins as the man hands him the bracelet and an order sheet.

"No problem at all," he smiles, "just bring the order sheet and the bracelet to the register and they can help you there."

* * *

"So, Phoenix," Quinn says as they walk along the busy streets of Celadon City.

Phoenix eyes her and asks, "what is it, Quinn?"

"Why do you like Ferra so much?" she questions.

Phoenix narrows his eyes at her for asking.

"I'm just curious!" Quinn's temper flares. "I used to be one of your best friends too."

Phoenix's demeanor softens at her remark.

"I just want to be your friend again," Quinn defends herself.

"You are my friend, Quinn," Phoenix sighs and drags his feet slightly.

"Then, what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"After the fire," she continues, "you stopped being my friend."

"What?" Phoenix asks, confused. "You are the one who left on your journey."

"Yeah, three years after you stopped hanging out with me."

Phoenix pauses to consider her response. They walk in silence for a block.

"I guess I just wanted to escape," Phoenix concludes, feeling sadness fill his stomach, "my whole family died, Quinn."

"I know, Phoenix," Quinn sighs, "but you were never alone. You aren't the only one who lost people that day."

"I know you were close to River," Phoenix frowns at the taste of his late sister's name.

"I was close to your parents too," she responds, "and I miss them all."

"I'm sorry, Quinn," he sends her a half-hearted smile, "start over?"

She turns to him and smiles back brightly, "of course, Phoenix."

Phoenix opens his arms and wraps Quinn in a tight bear hug. She returns the hug happily.

"Did I miss something?" a feminine voice breaks up their embrace.

"Oh hey!" Phoenix smiles widely at the girl before him, "We were just coming back."

"I was just going out to get some lunch _by myself _since no one has been around all morning," Ferra explains, wrapping her arms around her body.

"Lunch?" Phoenix asks, looking at his phone, "oh Mew, I didn't know it was getting so late. Let's go grab something altogether. Where's Austin?"

"He was gone when I woke up too," Ferra explains, slightly tiffed from being left alone, "I thought you all left together without me."

"What?" Phoenix asks. "Oh, no, I just needed Quinn's help this morning. I haven't talked to Austin since last night."

"Why did you need Quinn's help?" Ferra asks cautiously.

"Alright," Phoenix holds up his hands in defense, "don't take it the wrong way, please! I was trying to run my errand alone and Quinn followed me out of our room and insisted she come with me."

"It's true," Quinn asserts, "he just let me help him pick out a special gift."

"Quinn!" Phoenix snaps at her.

"What?" Quinn asks, faking cluelessness.

"Oh," Ferra blushes at her mistake, she got the hint, "I understand."

Phoenix groans at the turn of conversation and rubs his forehead.

"Let's just get food," he shakes his head, "and text Austin to figure out where he ran off too."

"Mysterious!" Quinn giggles, "I like it!"

Her comment causes Phoenix and Ferra to groan and roll their eyes.

* * *

"This is the best burger I have ever had!" Phoenix exclaims as he tears apart his double cheeseburger that is soaked in grease and condiments.

Ferra giggles at his antics, but Quinn looks appalled.

"Don't you have any manners?" Quinn asks with disgust. She finds it hard to eat her own food while watching him scarf down his.

"You learn to live with it," Ferra shrugs her shoulders and takes a bite of her own burger.

Phoenix grins cheekily in response.

"I'm sorry!" He laughs. "You both know who raised me. Dinner time was always the most anticipated time of day!"

"Blame your dad all you want, but you might just be worse!" Quinn rolls her eyes.

"Hey guys, it's almost 4:00," Ferra mentions, "do you think we should be worried about Austin?"

"Worried about Austin?" Phoenix asks, surprised,"You?"

"Shut up," Ferra smacks him on the shoulder.

"It's possible he is just waiting back at the Pokemon Center," Phoenix shrugs.

"Or he'll text us back soon," Quinn suggests.

Just as she finishes her sentence, Phoenix's phone sounds an alert.

"There he is now I bet," Phoenix says, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"What does it say?" Quinn asks curiously.

Phoenix reads over the message.

"He just says he is spending the night in the woods and not to wait up for him tonight," Phoenix furrows his eyebrows. "It's hard to imagine that kid out on his own. He gets scared of the dark and doesn't leave his tent at night."

"He'll manage," Quinn says, shrugging her shoulders.

"There is something strange about that kid," Ferra suggests thoughtfully.

"He's just a little socially awkward and still growing up," Phoenix waves the thought away.

"Yeah I guess," Ferra nods in agreement, "he just says really weird things sometimes that don't make any sense."

"He's a boy," Quinn giggles, "do they ever make sense?"

For the first time since Quinn joined their group, Ferra laughs along with her.

Phoenix watches their budding friendship and joins playfully, "hey!"

"Except you, Phoen," Ferra chuckles and slaps him lightly on the arm.

* * *

"Erika didn't even see it coming!" Phoenix laughs pridefully.

Ferra rolls her eyes, but continues to smile, "you had the advantage definitely."

"That was cheap!" Quinn complains, "you should have used a Pokemon other than Charvo."

"I disagree," Phoenix shakes his head, "Charvo needed a confidence boost."

"Looks like you got one too!" Ferra giggles.

After a restful night's sleep, the three woke up early that morning so that Phoenix could face Celadon City's gym leader, Erika, for the Rainbow Badge. Of course, it had been the quickest gym battle yet because Erika wasn't prepared to face a Charizard who held the super effective powers of fire and flying.

"Hey," Quinn stops in her tracks on the road and watches the sky, "what is that?"

"I don't know," Ferra squints her eyes, trying to figure out what the growing object is.

"DUCK!" Phoenix screams as he grabs his friends arms and pulls them to the ground just in time for huge orange Pokemon to pass over them way too closely.

"What the hell!" Quinn screams, pushing herself back up to her feet.

"Austin?" Phoenix asks from the ground.

"The one and only!" Austin grins, hopping off the Pokemon. "Sorry, we're still working on the landing!"

"Kuro?" Ferra questions, looking closely at the Pokemon in question, a Charizard.

"Yes, sir!" Austin boasts.

"But there is something off about him," Phoenix suggests, dusting his pants off and looking closely at Kuro.

"His coloring is off," Quinn observes the newly evolved Pokemon, "like, is he sick?"

"Nope!" Austin chirps, "he's just fine.

"Quinn's right," Phoenix agrees, "he is lighter than normal Charizards."

"What do you mean?" Austin asks, his smile faltering.

"Here," Phoenix fiddles with his phone and pulls up a picture of a Charizard.

"Kuro's orange scales are a lot lighter," Ferra observes, "and his wings are like a lighter blue and less green."

"Well, aren't I lucky?" Austin grins with pride.

"Are you sure he's alright?" Phoenix asks, looking at the large winged reptile again.

"Nurse Joy checked him out this morning and said he was in tip top shape," Aust shrugs his shoulders.

Kuro roars in response, showing his strength.

"What are those bumps?" Phoenix asks, peering around to see Kuro's backside.

"I don't know," Austin admits, "but they're badass as hell!"

Phoenix runs his hand across Kuro's neck and backside where bony spines protrude giving Kuro a strikingly tough demeanor. His wings appear to be slightly longer and form more spines.

"I never realized how strong Kuro is," Phoenix says thoughtfully, stroking his horns.

"Well he just evolved!" Austin laughs heartily.

"Yeah," Phoenix furrows his eyebrows, "I guess I wasn't observant enough when he was a Charmeleon."

"Well, now that he's a Charizard, wanna race?" Austin asks slyly.

A look of determination appears in Phoenix's eyes at the challenge.

"You're on!" Phoenix agrees, pulling Charvo's ball out, "Let's go!"

Charvo emerges and spreads his blackened wings to stretch them out. When his eyes meet Kuro, he grins immediately. Then they lock claws and start their contest of strength.

"Looks like they're happy to be equals again," Ferra laughs and pulls out a Pokeball. "Come on out, Mari."

Mari shakes herself awake and watches in confusion before realizing that Kuro has also evolved.

"Char char!" she shouts, cheering them on.

"Are you next, Mari?" Phoenix asks, pointing at Charvo and Kuro.

"Charmeleon meleon!" Mari nods in agreement.

"We have a lot of training still," Ferra smiles at her Charmeleon.

Kuro looks over to the group momentarily and sees that Mari was released. He lets go of Charvo and books it to greet her leaving Charvo to fall flat on the ground.

"Ouch," Austin chuckles.

Kuro reaches down and grabs Mari, pulling her into a big hug. Mari is confused at first, but doesn't fight it.

"Maybe Mari will change her mind about Charvo and go for Kuro," Ferra says thoughtfully.

"Nah," Austin waves the thought away, "Kuro and Mari treat each other like family. Charvo and Mari have chemistry."

Ferra turns to him questioningly, "what do you know about chemistry?"

"More than you think!" Austin defends himself.

"You're so strange," Ferra shakes her head.

"Anyway," Phoenix scratches the back of his head nervously, "how about that race?"

"Right!" Austin agrees. "Back to the Pokemon Center?"

"Sounds good," Phoenix nods.

They both step up to their respective Charizards and prepare.

"I'll call it!" Quinn squeals, "Ready, set, GO!"

Both competitors are off and soaring so quickly, they are out of view in mere seconds.

"What about us?" Ferra asks, realizing they would be walking back to the Pokemon Center.

"I got us covered," Quinn pulls out a Pokeball.

When it opens, an enormous, fiery dog Pokemon appears.

"Ar ar!" he barks.

"Arcanine, can you give us a lift?" Quinn asks sweetly. Ferra returns Mari to her Pokeball.

Arcanine answers by laying down to allow the two girls to climb aboard.

"He is so neat!" Ferra praises, petting Arcanine's cool flames.

"I know!" Quinn giggles, "he is my best performer too!"

"Ar!" Arcanine barks with pride.

* * *

"I got here first!"

"No, I did!"

"You were like five seconds too late!"

"You started early!"

"Quit it!" Quinn screeches as she and Ferra arrive on Arcanine's back.

"He started it!" Phoenix and Austin shout at each other.

"You are acting like bickering siblings," Quinn shakes her head in disgust, "grow up."

While Phoenix and Austin are locked in an intense stare down, an alert sounds.

"Who is that?" Phoenix grumbles, breaking the stare, and pulling his phone out to check his messages.

"Wow!" he exclaims as he reads over the text, completely forgetting about his argument with the younger boy.

"What is it?" Ferra asks, looking over his shoulder.

"It's Mr Roque," Phoenix informs them, "he wants us to come to a special festival in Fuscia to celebrate some of the world's strongest Pokemon trainers. He wants me to be a guest speaker in honor of my parents."

"Whoa!" Ferra exclaims, "that is really awesome!"

"Yeah," Phoenix mumbles lightly.

"Don't you want to go?" Quinn asks curiously.

"I guess," Phoenix shrugs listlessly.

"We _have_ to go!" Austin urges. "An event to honor the late great Pokemon Master - I have to be there!"

* * *

"_I'm just crossing over the Bike Bridge," Ash yells into his communication system attached to his ear. Soaring on his champion Charizard, he searches the water and ground below him._

"_Do you see any unusual activity?" Lance asks through his speaker. _

"_No, nothing," Ash says, slightly frustrated._

"_Try going a little east," Lance suggests._

"_Roger," Ash agrees, cueing Charizard to turn slightly and move faster._

_Ash looks everywhere to find something, anything, out of place, but sees nothing._

"_I'm going lower," he informs Lance._

"_Ash, we agreed you would stay higher up," Lance argues._

"_Just a little lower," Ash shouts over the wind._

_Charizard nose dives a few dozen feet before stabilizing._

"_Ash?" Lance asks, but the signal is fading, "Ash? Ash?"_

"_Can you read me?" Ash asks back._

_There is no response from Lance._

"_I guess we should fly higher for signal," Ash whispers to himself._

"_Mr. Ketchum," a new voice suddenly sounds from his comms._

"_Who is this?" Ash barks._

"_You know who this is," he responds._

"_What do you want?"_

"_You, dead," the voice answers in a sickeningly evil tone._

"_You're going to have to face me then, coward," Ash shouts, his voice is laced with fury._

_The man on the other end laughs sadistically, "Mr. Ketchum, I'm not going to start with you."_

"_What do you mean?" Ash asks, nausea rising in the pit of his stomach, "TELL ME WHAT YOU MEAN!"_

"_You better get home, Mr. Ketchum," his voice drips like venom, "while it's still there,"_

_The comm system cuts out and Ash is left in shock._

"_Ash?" Lance's voice returns. "Ash?"_

"_Lance," Ash croaks, "get everyone together as fast as you can and get to my house. He's threatened my family."_

_Ash directs Charizard to race home faster than ever back to Pallet._

_Ash pulls out his phone and dials his wife's number, "Misty?"_

"_Ash? What is it?" Misty can hear the stress in his voice._

"_Pack what we need to go into hiding as fast as you can," he tells her with tears falling from his eyes, "we need to leave immediately."_

* * *

Alright, well, they may or may not use these Pokemon, but this is what I imagine our characters have at their disposal:

Phoenix: Charizard, Fletchinder, Luxio, Primeape, Pikachu, Sandshrew, Kabuto, Psyduck, Oddish, Rattata, Nidorino, Rhyhorn,

Ferra: Alolan Vulpix, Marowak, Clefairy, Charmeleon, Poliwhirl

Austin: Charizard, Weepinbell, Graveller

Quinn: Arcanine, Flaaffy, Wartortle, Spheal, Skitty, Deerling

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed!**

Response to Tigercat111: LOL I don't really know who would marry Gary either! Like he is a better guy later in the series so maybe someone would? But for now she shall remain imaginary!

Love, Alert, Review.


	11. Memories

**Welcome back! **

I have to apologize for my absence. I spent the summer with my new puppy who didn't let me write lol, and then I had to go back to work as a teacher which has been insane. I have all of my major plans for this story solidified, I just need to find the time for it!

* * *

**Part 11**

As the four friends arrive at the outskirts of Fuscia City, it becomes blatant that this festival is no small event. They move deeper into the city to find all of the main streets blocked off and people crowding the area.

"How have I never heard of this festival before?" Quinn asks, eyes wide at the sight before her. "It's huge!"

"Maybe it's new?" Phoenix suggests quietly, observing the food trucks set up along the streets and the carnival games setup alongside the normal Fuscia businesses. The festival stretches down the main street through the entire city.

"Where are we supposed to go, Phoen?" Ferra asks, gaining his attention.

"Mr. Roque just asked me to be at the main stage by three," Phoenix says, throwing his arms out and shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, that leaves us with two whole hours to party!" Austin cheers, taking excited steps towards a jelly donut stand. "Who's coming with me?"

"Ugh, I guess," Quinn rolls her eyes playfully and follows after him.

"Meet us at the main stage at three!" Ferra shouts, waving at them.

Austin turns back and gives her a thumbs up before disappearing into the crowd.

"I guess it's just you and me," Ferra hums, stepping next to Phoenix.

"I guess so," Phoenix smiles down at her. He hadn't realized it until now, but he stands a few inches taller than her.

"Come on," Ferra tugs on his hand, "let's get Miltank Cheese Curds!"

"Oh man, those are the best!" Phoenix nods eagerly and willingly follows along.

Ferra leads him to a stand across the street that is advertised by a large, smiley Miltank pictured above the opening. There is a short line and it moves quickly.

"One cheese curd bowl please!" Ferra orders, exchanging a five bill for a large paper bowl of cheese curds.

"I'll get us a drink," Phoenix looks around for a stand that sells soda or water bottles.

A sharp gaze distracts him from his task. Phoenix spots an older man with black hair, a furrowed brow, and dark eyes. The hair on Phoenix's arms stands alert in response to the man's piercing stare.

"Did you find a soda place?" Ferra asks from his side.

"What?" he turns to look at her briefly, but immediately looks back in the direction of the man to find him gone. People move along in every direction. It is impossible to spot the man again.

"Is everything alright?" Ferra asks, trying to peer in the same direction.

"No," Phoenix responds, "I mean yeah. I just saw someone staring at us."

"There are a lot of strange people here," Ferra shrugs her shoulders, "maybe they just recognized you as a Ketchum."

"Maybe," Phoenix shakes it off, "I guess we shouldn't worry."

"No, we should only worry about eating these delicious cheese curds!" Ferra giggles, popping one into her mouth.

"Gimme those!" Phoenix laughs, reaching towards the bowl.

"Not until you get us a drink, mister!" she pokes at his ribs jokingly.

"Alright alright!" Phoenix chuckles, "but if you eat them all, I'm not sharing my drink!"

"Fine!" Ferra fakes exasperation.

Ferra links her arm in Phoenix's and, with slightly pink tinted cheeks, the two make their way to order a drink. Together they walk around the festival, playing games and trying new treats.

"Look at that!" Ferra points excitedly towards one specific game booth.

"Is that a giant Pichu stuffie?" Phoenix asks with a laugh, looking at the grand prize at the booth. It is a ring toss game. The goal is to toss a ring over the neck of a bottle. It is much harder than it looks!

"It is so cute!" Ferra exclaims.

"Check this out, Pichu!" Phoenix calls out Pichu who jumps up and down on the counter, excited to see herself represented by the much larger toy.

"Aww, she wants it!" Ferra smiles, rubbing Pichu's head.

"What would we do with it if we won it though?" Phoenix asks curiously.

"I don't know!" Ferra giggles.

"Alright, how about if Pichu can place a ring, we'll keep it!" Phoenix laughs, holding out a single bill to the blonde teen boy running the game, "One game please!"

"Sure thing," he flashes a bright smile and hands them three rings.

"It's all you, Pichu," Phoenix sets the ring in front of her. Each ring is the size of her small body.

"Pi," she scratches her ear, trying to figure out her strategy.

"You can do it!" Ferra encourages her.

"Pi!" Pichu grabs a ring, winds up and tries to throw it as far as she can. The ring doesn't quite make it to the bottles, falling short to the ground.

"You got this little, Pichu," the boy running the game says.

"Pichu Pi," she grabs another and concentrates.

With all her might, Pichu flings the ring towards the bottles. It clinks against the side of the nearest bottle and falls to the ground again.

"Almost!" Phoenix rubs her ears.

Pichu grabs another ring tightly and begins to spin around in a circle, "Piiiiiiiiiiiiii"

"CHU!" She shouts as she flings the final ring towards the bottles, electricity sparking from her cheeks.

"Pichu!" Phoenix shouts as an electric shock runs through each of their bodies.

All three humans fall to the ground comically and groan.

"Pi pi!" Pichu shouts, pointing towards the bottles.

"No way," Ferra shakes her head, seeing the final ring around the neck of the closest bottle.

"Whoa," Phoenix scratches his chin at the outcome.

"I have to say that is the most shocking win I've ever seen," the boy running the game concludes, "or felt."

"Pichu Pichu," she chuckles sheepishly.

"This is all yours, little Pichu," the boy unclips the large Pichu stuffie and sets it on the counter.

"Pichu!" she snuggles up against the body of it. The toy is at least three times her size.

"You said she could keep it if she won," Ferra reminds him with a smirk.

"I know," Phoenix slaps his forehead, upset with himself for underestimating the tiny mouse.

"Oh, hey Phoen," Ferra says quickly, "we have about twenty minutes until we have to be at the main stage. Maybe we should go find it."

"Yeah, good idea," Phoenix agrees.

"Pichu!" Pichu points at her new toy.

"You want us to carry _your_ toy?" Phoenix rolls his eyes playfully and Pichu runs up to his shoulder. Phoenix wraps his arm around the large toy and holds it on his hip.

"Hey man," Phoenix talks to the boy running the game, "can you point me towards the main stage?"

"Oh yeah," he sticks his head out of the side of the stand and points down the street, "it is just at the end of the main street there."

"Thank you," Phoenix nods at the teen boy and the two wave as they reenter the crowd.

"I think I see it!" Ferra points enthusiastically to a stage set up at the end of the street.

The two friends push through the mass of people, using their elbows to help part the sea.

"That's a big stage," Phoenix states nervously, "do you think he really wants me to get up there?"

Ferra looks his way quizzically, "Mr. Phoenix Ketchum, you are a star on the rise. You will have to get used to the limelight! Besides, it is definitely in your blood to be a champion!"

"So you keep telling me…" Phoenix trails off in uncertainty.

"Look over there! It's a picture of the Elite!" Ferra points to the left of the stage where tall cardboard cutouts of legendary Pokemon trainers stand.

Phoenix's eyes follow Ferra's lead, but his heart leaps into his throat at the sight. Rather than the Elite catching his attention, he finds himself staring up at two cardboard faces he longs to see again.

"Mom and dad." Phoenix chokes unexpectedly. The cardboard cutouts show Ash with Raichu when he was mega evolved and Misty with her Golduck standing side by side.

"Oh Phoenix," Ferra sighs softly, "I should have seen that."

"There are hundreds of pictures and clips of them on the internet," Phoenix whispers while looking closely at his parents' faces, "but these almost seem real."

The capsule around Phoenix's neck wiggles once and then releases Raichu who senses the change in the atmosphere.

"Rai," he comments sadly, his ears drooping at the sight of the full-sized picture of his late best friend.

"Well Raichu, you're the real star here," Phoenix smiles warmly at the oversized mouse, "you're the only champion who really has a claim to fame at this festival so I want you to come on stage with me."

"Phoenix," a familiar deep voice interrupts them.

"Mr. Roque," Phoenix addresses him kindly, "it is great to see you again."

"You as well, of course." Mr. Roque responds, "I am very grateful you are here. You are the perfect person to be on that stage to honor the late and great champion and his elite wife."

"I was hoping it would be alright with you if Raichu came on stage with me," Phoenix requests, "he is a champion after all."

"Well of course!" Mr. Roque laughs heartily, "this party is to honor all of our champions -the Pokemon included!"

"Thank you, sir," Phoenix smiles, relieved that he would not be alone on stage.

"Now, when I introduce you, just say a few words in memory of your parents, from the heart." Mr. Roque instructs.

"I guess," Phoenix looks slightly pale at the thought of speaking about a sensitive subject in front of such a large crowd.

"You're gonna do great kid," Mr. Roque pats his shoulder and checks his watch, "I have to get up there. Just listen for your introduction."

Mr. Roque climbs the stairs and stalks towards the podium where a microphone is waiting for him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he announces into the speaker, "If you would all turn your attention this way so we can start our main event - the honoring of the Elite!"

The crowd roars at the announcement. People begin to chant the names of the Elite.

"We have three Elite members who have agreed to grace us with their presence today. Please join me in welcoming our newest member, Kendra, the Fairy Elite!"

A blonde woman wearing all pink and sporting a large amount of ribbons and accessories enters through the part in the red curtain shrouding the remaining trainers behind it. The crowd cheers as she waves excitedly.

"Next we have Lorelai, the Ice Elite!"

The crowd screams even louder when and older woman dressed in an all black pant suit emerges. Her red locks wave behind her and reveal streaks of white that show her age. She nods gracefully in thankfulness and sits next to Kendra on stage.

"And finally, we have the longest serving Elite member and standing champion, the dragon master - Lance!"

The crowd goes wild at the sight of the middle aged man with flaming red hair who enters through the curtains and bows respectfully with a sly smile featured on his face.

Phoenix's eyes widen at the sight of the man, but Ferra cheers excitedly with the rest.

Lance waves at the crowd, but falters as his gaze meets Phoenix's. For a split second Lance's bravado softens before he turns to take his seat next to Lorelei.

"I'm guessing you know Lance personally?" Ferra asks, having noticed the connection between the two.

"Lance is the first person who was there that night..." Phoenix trails off, a distant look plastered to his face.

Ferra simply intertwines her fingers with his and leans against him slightly to assure him that she is there to support him.

"Hey guys! There you are!" Austin nearly shouts as he and Quinn approach.

"Shut up, you moron!" Quinn whisper yells at him and flicks him in the back of the head.

"What was that for?" Austin whines.

"Shh!" Ferra shushes both of them and continues to listen to Mr. Roque.

Mr. Roque continues to speak on the importance of heroes and goodness. He gives examples of how each of the Elite on stage have earned their titles time and time again. Then, each of the three Elites share their stories of how they achieved their success. The whole presentation takes about 30 minutes.

"Now, without delay, I would like to introduce you to our honorary guests who I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the last few months. This is a trainer who has been blazing his own path instead of travelling the one paved for him. Please welcome Phoenix Ketchum and the late champion Ash Ketchum's Raichu!"

As Phoenix and Raichu climb the stairs, the cheering becomes deafening. As Phoenix turns to face the crowd he feels the lump in his throat grow. These fans are not his. He does not deserve to be on this stage.

"Phoenix," Lance's soft voice snaps him from his panic, "go on."

"Right," Phoenix laughs nervously and clears his throat.

The cries from the crowd begin to die down.

"Hello," Phoenix speaks into the microphone and the crowd goes silent, "I am Phoenix Ketchum, Ash Ketchum's son, and this is my father's best friend and partner, Raichu. You might remember that he was once blue. Well, he isn't anymore."

A few awkward coughs sound from the audience. Phoenix's eyes lock on his friends who all give him thumbs up.

"Anyway," Phoenix scratches his head, "Until I was nine, I was raised by the Champion Ash Ketchum and Elite Misty Ketchum. To me, they weren't just Elite trainers, they were elite parents. They committed themselves 100% to everything that was important to them - their Pokemon and their family. For so many years I wandered around avoiding my true passions and strengths because my parents were gone. But when I realized that my best friend, Charvo, needed me, I became strong. I realized that the same strength that my parents had lives in me. And it lives in you too. The people and Pokemon that you love will bring out your true strength. Please honor my parents today by showing your true strength to those who are most important to you. Thank you."

The crowd cheers madly once again as Phoenix wraps up his speech and stares out at the sea of people; people who once looked up to his father.

Then, suddenly electricity races towards the sky, and the crowd of people have only a brief moment to register the events that follow. Phoenix is thrown backwards into darkness. Everything goes silent.

"What happened?" Phoenix speaks but does not hear his own voice. He rubs his aching head as he opens his eyes. Before him; mass hysteria.

People run as quickly as possible in all directions; trampling one another. There is a fire blazing on the stage. Men dressed in black with invade the area.

Phoenix rolls onto his stomach and tries to push himself up, but winces as his left arm won't hold his weight. He feels weak and nauseous. Raichu stands before him; cheeks sparking threateningly as the men near. Phoenix's ears begin to ring as sound returns. The sight of the fire burning in front of him causes his heart to race. The trauma that he had sustained nearly a decade ago returns in full. He trembles as the memories flood his synapses.

"The fire," Phoenix shakes as he stares into the orange flames, "Raichu, help."

Raichu's cheeks stop sparking and he grabs hold of Phoenix to comfort him.

"Green," Phoenix whispers as he stares, entranced by the fire licking the curtains of the stage.

"I found him," one of the men signal to the others, but he is taken out by an orange blur.

"Kuro?" Phoenix squints his eyes to focus on his friend's Charizard who has thrown the rocket grunt across the stage. He can see Austin in the background directing his Weepinbell and Graveller to attack the rockets' Pokemon.

"Marowak!" Ferra's Marowak screeches, chasing off another grunt.

"Phoenix!" Ferra runs up the stage, past the fire burning and kneels next to him, "are you hurt?"

"Ferra, they killed them," he cries out in agony, "they killed them!"

"Phoenix, everyone is okay," Ferra looks over him carefully, confused by his outburst, "are you hurt?"

"No," he finally answers, clutching his left arm, "not too bad."

"We need to get you out of here," Ferra says as she looks up at the flames that are claiming the ceiling above.

"I can't," his whole body shakes in defiance, "I'm so scared."

"You have to!" Ferra grabs his neck and looks into his eyes, "You have to."

When Phoenix makes no move to get up, Ferra reaches towards his waist and tears Charv's Pokeball off his belt.

"Help him, please," Ferra begs the reptile when he fully materializes. It takes Charvo only a moment to assess the situation, throw Phoenix on his back, and take off the edge of the stage to find a safer place for his master leaving behind their friends to deal with the chaos.

* * *

"_I just need to grab my Charmander!" Phoenix shouts as he runs back up the stairs towards his room. Raichu follows at his heels._

"_Hurry!" his father tells him urgently. _

_Phoenix races into his room and grabs a backpack. He throws a few of his essential items into it - his father said they were leaving for quite a while. Then, he carefully places his Charmander egg into the bag. It doesn't fit completely and won't zip, but he makes sure it is snug._

"_I'm ready!" Phoenix shouts as he runs out of his room towards the stairs._

_He freezes when his eyes connect with a blazing green light. It has a comforting glimmer that reaches out and calms his soul. He stares in wonder for what feels like a hundred years, but, in reality, is only a split second before he is thrown backwards by his father's Raichu. _

_Though Raichu uses light screen, the explosion still sends them hurdling out of the house through the side wall and into the backyard. Raichu holds his body wrapped around Phoenix until they hit the ground and roll across the grass. _

_Phoenix groans as he sits up. At the sight of his home crumbling to the ground and the fire blazing over it, he cries out, "NO!"_

"_Raichu!" Raichu limps in front of him and stops him from moving closer to the ruins. _

"_MOM, DAD!" Phoenix screams wildly, "RIVER!"_

"_Raichu," Raichu trembles and stares down at his blue paws as a strange feeling passes through him. His fur shines brightly for a moment and then the light blue fades to orange, and the navy blue darkens to black._

"_No," Phoenix shakes his head, understanding the significance of the loss of Raichu's mega state, "NO! DAD!"_

_Phoenix runs towards the fire again, but a man on a large dragon Pokemon lands swiftly before him. _

"_Phoenix," he calls, "we need to leave. Now."_

_Phoenix breaks into wild sobs._

"_They're all gone!" he screams, "they're all gone!"_

_Phoenix weeps in the grass for all of the loss he feels._

"_Char?" a small, fearful voice cheeps from his backpack that still hangs on his shoulders. _

"_My egg!" Phoenix pulls the bag off and looks inside. The shell of the egg has shattered to pieces and a small creature is in its place._

"_Charmander?" the little lizard looks up at him._

_Phoenix pulls him out of the bag and holds him tightly to himself._

"_I promise, I will always protect you," Phoenix cries as he holds onto the little Pokemon._

"_That's one rare Pokemon," Lance informs him, staring at his glittery golden scales. He is struck by grief and awe in this moment._

"_What do you mean?" Phoenix asks despondently._

"_Come with me now," Lance orders him, "I need to get you somewhere you will be safe."_

* * *

Phoenix: Charizard, Fletchinder, Luxio, Primeape, Pikachu, Sandshrew, Kabuto, Psyduck, Oddish, Rattata, Nidorino, Rhyhorn,

Ferra: Alolan Vulpix, Marowak, Clefairy, Charmeleon, Poliwhirl

Austin: Charizard, Weepinbell, Graveller

Quinn: Arcanine, Flaaffy, Wartortle, Spheal, Skitty, Deerling

* * *

We are getting to the meat. Stick around and stay patient! 

Love, Alert, Review!


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